There is a growing interest in pre-service teacher education programs on how to maximise the learning benefits of professional experience. This study attempts to discover how action research can be used as a vehicle to bridge the divide between theory and practice and to support pre-service teachers in the development of authentic professional…

The use of service-learning as a teaching methodology is in its infancy within Australian tertiary institutions. Parker et. al., (2009) noted that, until recently, community service-learning has been under-utilised within the Australian higher education system. Within teacher education programs, service-learning has been used primarily as a means…

This research paper documents what learning designs, teaching methods and teaching activities were most commonly used by pre-service teachers and experienced teachers as observed by the pre-service teachers when on their practicum visits in schools. The paper also outlines the benefits of documenting learning designs so that good teaching practice…

Currently, Australian teacher education programs include professional experiences as a means of enhancing preservice teacher understanding about teaching and the profession. The challenge the programs face is the lack of places available in schools and, at times, the unpredictable quality of the placements as some teachers are time-poor, are not…

In 2010 a group of teacher educators from four universities, experienced in rural and remote education, formed the Tertiary Educators Rural, Regional and Remote Network (TERRR Network). The collaborative goal was to improve the quality of graduates taking appointments beyond the metropolitan areas of Western Australia. The TERRR Network developed…

Since the 1970s, international fieldwork has provided opportunities for small numbers of pre-service teachers to teach and learn in a culture different from their own. Research into this fieldwork suggests that pre-service teachers are positive about their experiences, although questions remain about the ethics underpinning some of these programs.…

This article focuses on primary school children's experiences of school-based social work programmes. These students, aged between 6 and 11, and drawn from a student population comprising 28 different cultural backgrounds and from low socio-economic backgrounds, participated in a case study that researched a school-based social work programme, the…

Though education for librarianship is contentious, the literature reveals a renewed emphasis on the value of practicum components. This article examines fieldwork in library education at Queensland University of Technology in Australia, highlighting the rationale for fieldwork, its aims and objectives, problems of implementation, benefits, and…

Twenty-three second-year education students at Charles Sturt University (New South Wales) participated in a three-week practicum program at remote rural schools. Participants offered generally positive comments about the value of the teaching and living experience and willingness to teach in such schools in the future. (SV)

The preservice teacher education program at the University of Western Sydney (Australia) includes in-school experiences intended to address criticisms of the traditional practicum. This article outlines the principles underlying an innovative final semester school-based experience; describes the experiences in practice; and discusses student,…

Part of the practicum curriculum for Children's Studies at Edith Cowan University, Australia, this program gives students field experiences in rural situations, which are especially relevant to the course's ecological approach. Describes some of the unique child care situations found in rural communities, and how students, staff, the university,…

Based on research and discussions with rural educators in Australia and New Zealand, a new rural teacher preparation program at the University of Victoria (British Columbia) is intended to sensitize students to the professional life of teachers in small rural communities and to acquaint them with the demands of teaching multi-graded classes. The…