A long-standing concern in teacher education is the variability in the quality of practicum experiences afforded to preservice teachers. Although some variability is due to their personal attributes, preservice teachers often find it difficult to connect theoretical insights to teachers' classroom practices. These challenges can be exacerbated…

This paper reports on how a team of final-year pre-service teachers experienced a lesson study approach, as a program-specific form of student support. Guided by Bandura's social learning theory, this purposive qualitative case study reveals how the pre-service teachers' engagement in the lesson study approach triggered feelings of commitment,…

Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) is a form of experiential learning that connects students with workplaces in their chosen field of study. WIL is a vital component of South Africa's teacher education, requiring pre-service teachers to complete a school practicum as part of their qualification. This research explores the question: What are effective…

When a black 2nd-year student educator gets chased away from a school whilst doing his teaching practice for hair 'not setting an appropriate example to learners', the incident elicits questions about the rights of student educators during teaching practice, as well as the extent to which universities and schools care for, support and prepare…

Today, many countries ensure that student teachers get into the real classrooms, practice in there, spend more time and translate theoretical knowledge into practice in schools during Initial Teacher Education. So that they can receive stronger support in the practicum process, and they can develop themselves. However, schools have been closed in…

Reflective practice is a crucial element of professional growth that is gaining in popularity in teacher education, yet the ability to reflect is a skill that is neither natural nor easy to develop. This paper reports on an investigation that sought to establish if pre-service teachers at a South African university -- in the process of learning to…

In a context like South Africa's, the prevailing numerous social inequalities and problems place additional demands on psychologists and educational psychologists. Western-based, individualised medical approaches are increasingly regarded as inadequate. We thus contend that the inclusion of service-learning is an alternative approach to the…

South Africa went into lockdown on 27 March, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is unlikely that thousands of preservice teachers will be able to complete their teaching practicum during 2020 at schools. In this action research study, we investigated a two-week teaching practicum experience that was completed via WhatsApp by 12…

The changes taking place in the schooling landscape because of the coronavirus are real and meaningful and have implications for the training of preservice teachers, especially the teaching practicum component of their initial teacher education programs. The havoc caused by COVID-19 forced many faculties of education into a state of 'panic-gogy'…

COVID-19 affected the teaching practicum placement of approximately 650 fourth year BEd Foundation Phase student teachers at University N in April and July 2020. The teaching practicum is seen as a purposeful, organised, supervised, mentored and assessed educational activity required for the completion of a teacher education programme. During the…

Background: There is considerable agreement that learning to teach is optimised when coursework learning is combined with quality practice learning experiences in schools. Aim: The main aim of this study was to explore the views of a group of student teachers on their practice learning experiences in a 'teaching school' (TS) and in the other…

This article investigates common understandings and practices of a group of supervisors assessing students during the Teaching Practicum in South Africa. In the light of this context and the need for a constructivist approach to develop students to be able to teach in diverse contexts, the question that the research intends to answer is as…

This article explores the evolving trajectory of the Teaching Practicum (TP) models within a selected South African teacher education institution (TEI) to accommodate the localised challenges of shifting from face-to-face support of professional learning towards online modes of delivery during COVID-19 times. Over time, even before the onset of…

The pursuit of excellence in preparing student teachers for the teaching profession is a never-ending endeavour. This study aimed at investigating the value of teaching practice as perceived by the participants, how they determined such value using human judgement and whether value judgement can be used as a form of reflection during teaching…

Many students embark on an international experience (study tour and/or practicum/placement) during their teacher education program. There are benefits and challenges for those participating in such programs. Reflection is a useful tool in enabling the students to reflect on their experiences; capitalise on the benefits and assist in meeting the…