Four Perspectives on the Benefits of an Early Field Experience for High School Teacher Candidates

Abstract

This chapter describes an innovative early field experience course for secondary teacher candidates that is held onsite at two local high schools. The chapter presents the course experience from the perspective of three stakeholders involved in the teaching and planning of the experiences: the university faculty instructor, a school administrator, and a practicum high school teacher. University candidate voices are also included through an analysis of survey data collected at the end of the most recent course offering. Each stakeholder describes both the tensions and benefits of the partnership and course experiences. By connecting theory and practice through interactions with all stakeholders during the course, the experience honors the expertise of all involved and builds a community of educators working together to improve secondary teacher education.