Learning to Learn about the Practicum: A Self-Study of Learning to Support Student Learning in the Field

Abstract

This study explores student teacher learning on the practicum from the perspective of supervisors, associate teachers, professors in pre-service teacher education programs and the students themselves. Self-study became a means by which I came to better understand the phenomenon of practicum as a whole, the constraints and opportunities, the where and how and why of practicum within teacher education, the resistances to change, and my own relationship to this crucial aspect of our programs in terms of my role in helping students to examine and interpret their practicum as a learning experience. This research begins with enumerating my assumptions about the practicum and reveals my learning as I unpack these and refocus my understanding of the practicum experience for my students. Data include personal journals, interview transcripts with all participant groups and discussions with critical friends. Findings include a greater understanding of the complexities of learning on the practicum from multiple perspectives, including a much clearer sense of the strong socialisation process that happens during the practicum, the crucial nature of the relationship with the associate teacher, and the importance of providing emotional as well as pedagogical support to student teachers during the practicum.