Working with Practice Communities to Conduct Teacher Education

Consistently on surveys and program evaluations our teacher candidates and graduates report that the most important part of our Bachelor of Primary Education Studies (BPES) program is the integration of in-school professional experience, or practicum, with the university coursework. This 9-month consecutive teacher education program, which builds upon a previously earned bachelor degree, prepares teacher candidates to teach from junior kindergarten to grade 6. Like Rob, many of our teacher candidates comment about the benefits of engaging in their teaching practicum in such close proximity to their time in the university classroom, and about the way this structure encourages a dialogue between these different aspects of their preparation to be teachers. In a similar way, Clift and Brady (2005) contended that the practicum was the most memorable part of their preservice program and described how it was critical to assisting preservice teachers to form their professional identities.