Roundtable Reflections: (Re) Defining the Role of the Teacher Educator and the Preservice Teacher as ‘Co-Learners’

Abstract

This paper is an account of one aspect of a self-study—the ‘roundtable reflections’—conducted over two semesters with two cohorts of Bachelor of Education preservice teachers at the University of Ballarat. An innovative approach to learning and teaching mathematics based on negotiation, ‘commuting’ teaching experience, and systematic reflection was introduced with each cohort and roundtable sessions provided the reflective space for the systematic ‘unpacking’ of the learning. Analysis of these roundtable sessions has developed understandings of the impact and effectiveness of this approach in redefining the role of both the pre-service teacher and the teacher educator as ‘co-learners’. The implications for those involved in teacher education are explored as a means of further understanding the nature of teaching and learning about teaching.