This study uses frame of boundary work to explore university teacher educators' discourses of the early childhood teacher education practicum and to identify the complexities of their positions(s) in these discourses. Data were obtained through focus group interviews with university teacher educators (N = 16) from two Finnish universities and…

Practicum periods are an essential part of early childhood education and care (ECEC) teacher training. To support a student's learning, they need supervision by an expert ECEC teacher to process and analyse information, and supervisory discussions are key forums for that. The aim of this study is to examine the cultural scripts that are…

The purpose of this article is to elucidate how a student teacher in Norwegian Early Childhood Education is enabled to relate practical experiences to theoretical concepts in conversations with a practicum teacher. We aim to demonstrate how the teacher and the student actually employ theoretical concepts during a practicum. The methodological…

Each year the expectation of teachers by many politicians, educational administrators, and the media is to raise the academic performance of students. This is a reasonable expectation since teachers have the most consistent contact with students and control over the learning environment and its components. Standardized tests, the teacher's report…

Practicum experiences, a critical feature in educator preparation programs, provide preservice educators opportunities to incorporate theory and practice in classrooms while under the supervision of a mentor educator. Although general descriptions of high-quality practicum experiences are provided by professional organizations and accrediting…

This study aimed to investigate how the use of practicum portfolios impacts early childhood student teachers' reflective practice in Palestine. The study utilized qualitative and quantitative methods to gather and analyze student teachers' perspectives on using practicum portfolios for their professional development. The main focus was to…

This paper explores the education of prospective teachers with regard to the Theory of Didactical Situations when they engage in lesson study. We particularly focus on studying how a lesson study process oriented towards the Theory of Didactical Situations contributes to increasing prospective teachers' self-efficacy to plan and teach lessons…

This study followed three preservice student teachers as they navigated a semester-long infant-toddler practicum designed to enact a relationship-based approach to teaching and learning. Selected participants were in particular and contrasting placement settings, which served as a catalyst for engaging in critical reflection in multiple ways.…

In response to the need for explicitly linking field-based experiences with theoretical knowledge of pedagogy to effectively prepare teacher candidates, teacher educators are increasingly rethinking the opportunities they provide in their teacher education programs. In this action research article, we describe our efforts as teacher educators to…

Though classroom teachers learn about inquiry-based teaching and learning and the project-based approach in their teacher education programs, they must often negotiate a lived curriculum amidst pressure to use a prescribed curriculum that has been adopted at the school or district level. We consider eight student teachers' experiences with and…

Associate teachers (ATs) play a crucial role in supporting beginning teachers but there is little research that identifies the practicum as an opportunity for advancing ATs' leadership capability. While research identifies mentoring as central to the way ATs support beginning teachers entering the profession, there is little explicit discussion of…

The COVID-19 pandemic affected teacher education; universities had to adapt quickly through emergency pedagogy. One problem that emerged was the relationship between schools and teacher students. The situation was more critical in early childhood teacher education than in others. The conditions forced them to adjust to the absence of children in…

Globally, K-12 schools are embracing practices of social and emotional learning (SEL) to address students' interactional and emotional needs and to create a safe and nurturing environment for their learning. As a curricular program and approach to pedagogy, SEL instruction socializes learners into specific social and cultural ways of naming,…

A practicum is a field experience that provides opportunities for preservice teachers to implement academic understanding and practical training in an authentic classroom environment. Though practicum experiences are one of the most common and crucial aspects of teacher preparation programs, there is limited research to promote understanding of…

The 2020 COVID lockdown provoked the early childhood team at Manukau Institute of Technology to radically rethink how practicum was assessed. The usual approach of an "in-centre" observation followed by a triadic discussion was replaced by weekly "virtual" meetings and an online triadic. A reflective framework was developed to…