Professionally Speaking: Qualitative
Research and the Professions
Professional Practice – beyond restructuring
and a merger. Using qualitative research to
evaluate professional teaching practice in a 3
year pre-service teacher education degree
Stephanie White
Introduction

College and University to merge in 2007

Changes to the programmes offered by the College were immanent cutting out the first professional practice for Year 1 students therefore
reducing total PP from 27 weeks to 24 weeks

Capture professional practice as it stood at the end of 2006 by
acknowledging and considering critically the professional teaching
practice component in the College’s three year primary pre-service
teacher degree

Evaluation of professional practice - what we value and why we should
keep it
The practice of professional practice

Professional Studies is a course which teaches theory-based principles
of how and what to teach

Professional Practice is a course that allows the art of putting what
students have learnt into practice in real classrooms with real children

These 2 courses are co-requisites and must be passed together

Students work with an associate teacher for up to 5 weeks each
placement and take increasing responsibility for the class including
planning, teaching, assessing and evaluating for up to 15 days in their
final placement.
Professional Practice - 2006

Professional Practice for our 3 year primary teaching degree for a
standard student looked like this up until the end of 2006:
Year 1 student – 3 weeks mid year
- 4 weeks October
Year 2 student – 5 weeks May
- 5 weeks September
Year 3 student – 5 weeks March
- 5 weeks July
Why Professional Practices?

Provides student teachers with opportunities to:
- observe experienced teachers in their numerous roles
- plan, teach, assess and evaluate in authentic settings
- refine their teaching strategies and techniques
- experience the life of a school outside the classroom
- manage a sustained learning programme and environment
- develop other skills and interests within the school community

Develop excellent teachers through the provision of high quality
theory, research and practice – College’s mission

Professional Practice is one of 5 key areas to be included in preservice teacher education- Teacher Education Manifesto (Draft 2006.
ASTE)
Literature- NZ and Australia

NZ Teachers Council states at least 14 weeks are necessary, but
preferably 20 or more weeks in teacher education programes

Providers need to assure the quality of the placements by building
successful relationships with schools

NZ Ministry of Education’s review of initial teacher education summarises
key points in relation to professional practice:
- provides some of the most powerful learning for student teachers
- one of the most rewarding aspects of initial teacher education
(Kane, 2005)
- essential component of learning to teach for student teachers,
teacher educators and teachers in schools (Cameron& Baker, 2004)
Literature -continued

Successful completion of professional practice depends on the
knowledge and skills of, and the quality of the interactions among, the
student teacher, the associate teacher and the visiting lecturer
(MOE,2006)

Partnership building with schools and school -based teacher education
training are being investigated in parts of Australia as part of
University training (Education Review, 2006)

Bachelor of Learning Management (BLM) of CQU builds on strong
partnerships with the teaching profession with a strong link between
theory and practice and an authentic partnership between schools,
employing authorities and the University

Teaching schools provides students with extended opportunities within
that school for a year (Turner, 2006)
The evaluation

Open-ended schedule sent to 15 lecturers who teach Professional
Practice asking for responses based around PP and their perceived
comments about its place in our pre-service teacher education degree

Discussion group initiated with 9 lecturers who teach third year PP
and had just completed a round of visits in schools

Interviewed 2 groups of students from second and third year about
their thoughts on the perceived value of PP and how their practical
experiences assist them in becoming teachers

Responses from each of these were analysed through identification of
key themes
Findings- lecturers’ perspective

Practical teaching component at the forefront of their philosophies about preservice teacher education

Enjoyed interacting with a variety of school communities and their staff,
principals and children and observing classrooms in practice

Prepared students for professional practice by providing them with a
platform of :academic credibility, educational capacity, enlightened
implementation of theory to practice and a spirit of educational inquiry

Placed very high value on professional practice with emphasis on linking the
theory and ideas taught in professional studies to the students’ teaching
experiences

Enjoyed supporting, coaching and mentoring students through the
professional aspects of teaching

Enjoyed professional links to school communities and opportunities to keep
up to date with teaching and learning initiatives in schools
Voices from the heart

“Having a chance to take risks and experiment is important for a
student’s growth and self discovery. When completing sustained
teaching placements with real children, student teachers learn to
become better learners and far better teachers.”

“ It is the real world learning that is so significant and the application
of theory and classroom learning to practice. Students see that the
College requirements make sense and begin to see the real purpose
of planning, organisation, evaluation and assessment. It enables them
to understand the richness, complexity, toughness and
relentenessness of classrooms so they can realistically question if
teaching is right for them.”
Findings- students’ perspective

The things they valued most about PP were : being able to experience
a range of teaching styles and techniques, observe a variety of
teachers and programmes, be involved in a mixture of schools with
varying resources, children, communities, gain confidence and trial
different strategies and methods of teaching

The students expressed that PP helped them to : experience all that
goes with being a teacher, putting what they have learnt into practice,
take on responsibilities outside the classroom, and gain confidence in
sustaining a real learning programme under the guidance of an
experienced teacher

Other key themes about professional practice were the preparation it
gives you for a teaching career , feeling comfortable in staffrooms and
engaging with different adults, developing their philosophies around
teaching based on their practical experiences
The students’ last words

“ Professional practice is THE most important part of the training”

“It is the main part of the degree – the practical component is the
only chance we have to actually practice what we have learnt”

“The first practice gives you the chance to see what being a in a real
classroom is like- waiting until the end of the year could be a waste of
a year if you find you don’t like it!”

“ The kind of teacher I am now (at graduation) and the philosophy I
have about teaching and learning comes from my experiences in the
classroom on professional practice- what would I be without that?”
What we value and why we should
keep it

Professional teaching experiences are vital to pre-service teacher
education and possibly the most important component

Maintaining integrity, reflecting critically and providing authentic,
positive practical teaching experiences for student teachers should
always be at the forefront of our decisions around pre-service teacher
education

Ensuring positive outcomes are prevalent for associate teachers and
their children

Year 1 students were allocated a mentor teacher in place of the first
mid year professional practice in 2007 and spent one afternoon a
week for up to 6 weeks as a non-threatening, gentle introduction to
life in the classroom and life as a teacher
Personal response

Discussions need to continue around professional practice in our preservice primary teaching degree

There is value in researching and evaluating professional practice as it
stands, to remind us in later years of the key issues raised by students
and lecturers at this time

Evaluations like this should continue to challenge our thinking and
encourage us to reflect on how we deliver teacher education now and for
the future - especially in terms of professional practice

Evaluating professional practice 5 years on from this 2007 merger
between 2 different tertiary institutions, will enable us to compare what
we as lecturers and students value and the impact the merging has had