Abstract
Professional experience is an essential component of initial teacher education. It provides preservice teachers with opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in learning and teaching in school and early childhood settings. It engages preservice teachers in real situations that facilitate authentic learning typically supported by mentor teachers. These situated learning experiences enable undergraduate and postgraduate preservice teachers to develop skills and practices that meet national standards. In addition to more traditional professional experiences, some universities have developed school-university partnerships that engage their preservice teachers in professional experiences based on project-based learning. Three university partnership collaborations with schools (mostly located in low socio-economic status (SES) communities) are discussed in this paper in which curriculum-based ‘learning by doing’ (Dewey, 1897) projects are a priority. Projects typically identified by school partners and linked to school strategic plans and priorities involve preservice teachers forming small professional learning teams (that include university and school-based educators and teachers as researchers) who facilitate the planning, management and reporting of a project. These project-based learning tasks are facilitated and aligned to the traditional professional experience and often involves work-integrated learning and development of twenty-first-century project management skills: teamwork, leadership, negotiation, evaluation, collaboration, entrepreneurship and project management and research skills. In the three cases reported here, there is a focus on addressing social and educational inequality through the programs.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Abel, C. F. (2004). A justification of the philanthropic model. In B. W. Speck & S. L. Hoppe (Eds.), Service learning: History, theory and issues (pp. 45–57). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Aikens, N., & Barbarin, O. (2008). Socio-economic differences in reading trajectories: The contribution of family, neighborhood, and school contexts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 235–251.
Akkerman, S. F., & Meijer, P. C. (2011). A dialogical approach to conceptualizing teacher identity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27, 308–319.
Arnold, J., Edwards, T., Hooley, N., & Williams, J. (2012). Conceptualising teacher education and research as ‘critical praxis’. Critical Studies in Education, 53(3), 281–295.
Aquila, F., & Dodd, J. (2003). Learn and serve Ohio: Annual evaluation report. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland State University.
Bates, A., & Lin, M. (2015). Service-learning and teacher education. New Waves, 18(1), III.
Carrington, S., & Saggers, B. (2008). Service-learning informing the development of an inclusive ethical framework for beginning teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24, 795–806.
Carrington, S., Mercer, K. L., Iyer, R., & Selva, G. (2015). The impact of transformative learning in a critical service-learning program on teacher development: Building a foundation for inclusive teaching. Reflective Practice, 16(1), 61–72. doi:10.1080/14623943.2014.969696.
Close the Gap Local Implementation Plan Yirrkala. (2011). Yirrkala Gurrutu’ Mirri Mala Reference Group, Australian Government, Northern Territory Government, East Arnhem Shire Council. Retrieved from: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/569308c7dc5cb46e49dc9ee5/t/5773d1012994ca10788adfcf/1467207984578/YIRRKALA_30_Sept_2011.pdf
Cochran-Smith, M., & Lytle, S. L. (2009). Inquiry as stance, practitioner research for the next generation. New York: Teachers College Press.
Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2010). The new lives of teachers. Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Dewey, J. (1897). My pedagogic creed. The School Journal, LIV, 77–80.
Eckersley, B., Davies, M., Arnold, J., Edwards, T., Hooley, N., Williams, J., & Taylor, S. (2011). Vision unlimited: Inspiring participant knowledge in schools. Melbourne, Australia: Victoria University. Retrieved from: http://education.vu.edu.au/visionunlimited/report.pdf.
Eilertsen, T. V., Moksnes Furu, E., & Rørne, K. (2011). Learning beyond the traditional: Preservice teachers as partners in school development. In M. Mattsson, T. V. Eilertsen, & D. Rorrison (Eds.), A practicum turn in teacher education. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Engestrom, Y. (2011). Expansive learning at work. Journal of Education and Work, 14(1), 133–156.
Eyler, J., & Giles, D. E., Jr. (2002). Beyond surveys: Using the problem solving interview to assess the impact of service-learning on understanding and critical thinking. In A. Furco & S. H. Billig (Eds.), Service learning: The essence of pedagogy (pp. 147–160). Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.
Fox, A., & Wilson, E. (2015). Networking and the development of professionals: Beginning teachers building social capital. Teaching and Teacher Education, 47, 93–107.
Friere, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed. London: Penguin Books.
Jagla, V., Erickson, J., & Tinkler, A. (2013). Transforming teacher education through service-learning. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Johnson, B., Down, B., Le Cornu, R., Peters, J., Sullivan, A., Pearce, J., & Hunter, J. (2015). Promoting early career teacher resilience: A socio-cultural and critical guide to action. Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Kemmis, S., & Smith, T. (2008). Praxis and praxis development. In Enabling praxis: Challenges for education (pp. 3–13). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Kemmis, S., Wilkinson, J., Edwards-Groves, C., Hardy, I., Grootenboer, P., & Bristol, L. (2013). Changing practices, changing education. Singapore, Singapore: Springer Science & Business Media.
Kruger, T., Davies, A., Eckersley, B., Newell, F., & Cherednichenko, B. (2009). Effective and sustainable university-school partnerships: Beyond determined efforts by inspired individuals. Canberra, Australia: Teaching Australia.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1998). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Le Cornu, R. (2015). Key components of effective professional experience in initial teacher education in Australia. Melbourne, Australia: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership.
Le Cornu, R., & Ewing, R. (2008). Reconceptualising professional experiences in pre-service teacher education… reconstructing the past to embrace the future. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(7), 1799–1812.
Lukenchuk, A., Jagla, V., & Price. (2013). Critical discourse: Analysis of service learning perspectives and models. In V. Jagla, J. Erickson, & A. Tinkler (Eds.), Transforming teacher education through service-learning. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
McMurtrie, D. H., Coleman, B. K., Ruppert, N., & Senn, G. J. (2014). The impact of service learning on middle level pre-service teachers. Current Issues in Middle Level Education, 19(1), 36–42.
Muijs, D., Harris, A., Chapman, C., Stoll, L., & Russ, J. (2009). Improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas: A review of research evidence. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 15, 149–175.
Nakata, M. (2007). The cultural interface. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 36(S1), 7–14.
Nitschke-Shaw, D., Bauer, D., Brown, M., Bryant, L., Gibans-McGlashan, A., Taylor, K., et al. (1997). Best practices: Service-learning in teacher education in New Hampshire.
Pessate Schubert, P., Thomas, D., & Lehman, K. (2006). Lessons learned in service learning: Personnel preparation through community action. Mentoring & Tutoring, 14(1), 67–79.
Robinson, V. (2003). Teachers as researchers: A professional necessity. SET: Research information for teachers, 1, 27–29.
Rossner, P., & Commins, D. (2012). Defining enduring partnerships: Can a well-worn path mean effective, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship? Queensland College of Teachers. Retrieved October 20, 2016, https://www.qct.edu.au/PDF/DefiningEnduringPartnerships.pdf
Scales, P. C., Blyth, D. A., Berkas, T. H., & Kielsmeier, J. C. (2000). The effects of service-learning on middle school students’ social responsibility and academic success. The Journal of Early Adolescence, 20, 332–358.
Sleeter, C. (2008). Equity, democracy, and neoliberal assaults on teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education Journal, 24, 1947–1954.
Taylor, M., Klein, E., & Abrams, L. (2014). Tensions of reimagining our roles as teacher educators in a third space: Revisiting a co/auto ethnography through a faculty lens. Studying Teacher Education, 10, 3–19.
Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group [TEMAG]. (2015). Action now: Classroom ready teachers report. Retrieved October 30, 2016, from Canberra: https://docs.education.gov.au/documents/action-now-classroom-ready-teachers-report
Tsui, A., & Law, D. (2007). Learning as boundary-crossing in school-university partnerships. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 1289–1301.
Wenger, E. (1998). Learning in communities of practice. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Wilson, E., & Demetriou, H. (2007). New teacher learning: Substantive knowledge and contextual factors. The Curriculum Journal, 18, 213–229.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Eckersley, B., Tobin, K., Windsor, S. (2018). Professional Experience and Project-Based Learning as Service Learning. In: Kriewaldt, J., Ambrosetti, A., Rorrison, D., Capeness, R. (eds) Educating Future Teachers: Innovative Perspectives in Professional Experience. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5484-6_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5484-6_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-5483-9
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-5484-6
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)