Abstract
In this chapter, we report on a study that employed a generic qualitative research design to explore how learning in and from practice, in a curriculum designed to achieve congruence between coursework and fieldwork, relates to student teachers’ learning at other schools they attend for WIL. When the University of Johannesburg (UJ), Faculty of Education established a ‘teaching school’ (TS) in 2010, the staff had no existing model based on which to plan. We worked from the idea that student teachers’ practicum in the TS could work in tandem with their WIL at other schools, in order to promote learning in and from practice, for practice. A shared vision of the kind of teacher we wished to produce was key, both within the programme itself and in terms of how coursework and practical experience/fieldwork were brought together. The central organising principle of child study not only brought cohesion to the programme but was also dependent on strong partnerships with expert teachers in the two settings who could operate as good mentors. Although such a vision is achievable at a TS, we found that building a relationship of equivalence demands a great deal of commitment and the willingness to compromise by both parties. This kind of relationship building was not possible at the WIL schools. However, we were motivated by the opportunity to combine practice in both TS and WIL schools for enabling student teachers to learn in and from practice at the TS to provide a solid foundation for learning during WIL at other schools. The data point to considerable congruence between student teachers learning in the TS and in coursework, but student teachers learning at WIL are more often a source of tension. We reasoned that if they have a vision of what good teaching is about from their experience at the TS, it would provide them with a benchmark of what to aspire for when placed in schools where this was absent.