Unstated and unjust: juggling relational requirements of professional experience for pre-service teachers

Examining supervising field instructors’ reporting and assessment of technology use by pre-service teachers on school placement

“…It is perhaps not surprising, given the challenges of meeting the many expectations of School Placement, that pre-service teachers are not more creative with technology use in their practice. For some, School Placement is an educative experience and one where experimentation can occur, but for others it is an experience to ultimately survive and 'get through' (Buckworth, 2017;Rutherford et al, 2015). The demands of school placement results in pre-service teachers having to navigate a complex terrain of competing demands between their host school's expectations and their field instructors' expectations (Authors, 2018).…”

Perspectives on Teacher Education Programme Preparation of Preservice Educators at A University in South Africa

“…For preservice teachers, going out to schools for professional experience is one of the most significant learning events in their teacher training (Beutel, Tangen & Spooner-Lane, 2019). This professional experience, referred to as teaching practice avail preservice teachers the opportunities to apply the theory gained in the university into practice is real classroom settings (Buckworth, 2017). During this period, preservice teachers put their academic knowledge into practice in a real world of work, thus, during this period, they test out their skills in classroom management, lesson planning, presentation and professional development (Mashau, 2012), under the supervision of a school-based teacher or mentor who provides the student-educator with guidance, feedback and other needed support (Mena, Hennissen & Loughran, 2017).…”

Thinking Dispositions for Teaching: Enabling and Supporting Resilience in Context

“…It requires that teacher educators provide meaningful and authentic contexts in which PSTs can begin to develop their professional teaching selves and identities. This complexity of learning to teach is widely recognised in the literature, with PSTs experiencing a range of challenges during their teacher education programme, including managing student and classroom behaviour and the demands of everyday classroom life (Mies and Knipe 2018); being evaluated and observed (Väisänen et al 2018); managing employment, financial stress, and coping with the workload (Grant-Smith and Gillett-Swan 2017); and difficulties associated with navigating relational challenges and feelings of alienation (Buckworth 2017). There is a diverse range of skills, capacities and dispositions required to be effective teachers, with initial teacher education programmes providing a platform for the development of these skills.…”