Supervising Preservice Teachers (Online Course) - What is the professional experience placement?

Module 1 - Effective partnerships (82 min)

Key Question - What is the professional experience placement?

Elements of successful professional experience programs (10 min)

Section 1 - Explore the elements and variety of professional experience placements.

Gaining practical professional experience is critical to the development of new teaching candidates. Traditionally, the learning experiences of the preservice teacher have been conducted in three strands, evident across most initial teacher education programs delivered nationally:

Content or subject specific training
Pedagogy
Professional experience

The professional experience placement is an opportunity for the prospective teacher to test, trial and develop their approach in an environment that is typically not otherwise available to them at their university.

“The practicum is where student teachers can demonstrate their capabilities in the classroom, and be assessed by experienced teachers as well as university staff.” (The Honourable Peter Garrett, Minister for School Education, Minister for Early Childhood and Youth, 2012).

“One thing that is clear from current studies of strong programs (ITE) is that learning to practice in practice, with expert guidance, is essential to becoming a great teacher of students with a wide range of needs.” (Darling-Hammond, 2010)

“Supported, authentic professional experience is categorised by strong collegial interactions and focus on learning and development and student outcomes is central to the preparation of teaching graduates (Le Cornu, 2012; House of Representatives, 2009).

Reflect on the time when you were a preservice teacher. Try to recall your feelings, emotions, and concerns. List any challenges or concerns you experienced when you were a preservice teacher.
How were these concerns addressed by the school, supervising teacher and university?

Your school (5 min)

What does your school have in place to support the professional experience program?

Types of professional experience (5 min)

It is important to consider the many types of professional experience placements that are applied through education institutions. As a guide, a preservice teacher may be involved in any one of the following professional placement types:

Practicum placement - Typically a series of short practical placements where the preservice teacher is paired with a supervising teacher/s and takes lessons under direct supervision

Internship - Often a placement where the preservice teacher delivers lessons independently, but with guidance from a supervising teacher where required

Clinical placement - Borrowing from the health profession, this format typically involves the direct training of clinical supervisors who provide support and guidance to a group of preservice teachers on their professional experience placements

Immersion program - Preservice teachers may be encouraged to support the whole school program over an extended period, with some time specifically allocated to classroom practice

This is absolutely not a complete list of professional experience types, there are many that you may encounter. It is also critical to note that the definition of placement types may vary from one institution to another.

In addition to considering the type of placement a preservice teacher may be on, it is also important to factor the stage at which they are undertaking the experience. A preservice teacher may be on a practicum placement at the beginning of their training or at the conclusion of their studies.

A supervising teacher should also be aware of the level at which their preservice teacher is training with them. For example, a preservice teacher may be an undergraduate or postgraduate student.

Initial teacher education programs must now seek common accreditation nationally. The details of all accredited initial teacher education providers and their programs can be found at the following link:

http://www.aitsl.edu.au/initial-teacher-education/accredited-programs-list

This may be helpful to you in understanding the program your preservice teacher is coming from and the type of training they are undertaking.

As you can see, there are a range of professional experience placement types. These placements will be further impacted by the unique inputs of each individual context.

What to expect (2 min)

Ultimately, what you can expect will be a function of the:

- Length of the placement
- Professional experience model employed
- Stage of the preservice teachers training/study
- Experience of the preservice teacher
- Experience of the supervising teacher
- School context, including support available to enhance the likelihood of a successful professional experience placement

Items 1, 2 and 3 have been covered in this module already, and Item 4 is addressed in the module Practice analysis, where you are encouraged to develop a common understanding with your preservice teacher. When taking on a preservice teacher, the supervising teacher is encouraged to consider Items 5 and 6 in relation to their own context.