Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Teaching Practice: Insights from Mentor Teachers in Johannesburg

Abstract

In preparing undergraduates to become teachers, initial teacher education (ITE) institutions enter into partnerships with schools, a necessary but often ambiguous undertaking. Alignment or misalignment of the key roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder influences pre-service teachers’ experience of teaching practice. The overarching research question that guided this study was: What can universities do to better prepare pre-service teachers for teaching practice? The study is underpinned by Cochran-Smith and Lytle’s framework of knowledge for practice, knowledge in practice, and knowledge of practice. The article reports on findings from a case study of 79 purposively selected mentor teachers’ views on how to prepare pre-service teachers for teaching practice. Data were collected using a qualitative open-ended questionnaire distributed by email, with responses received in writing. The findings indicate that most mentor teachers (73%) highly value student teachers’ knowledge of the practice, and would like them to have a more detailed understanding of what teaching entails before they go on teaching practice. Based on the mentor teachers’ input, we recommend that fewer student teachers be sent to each school at one time, more emphasis be given to students’ professional behaviour, and that students be better prepared with content and lesson planning knowledge.