‘I See What I See from the Theory I Have Read.’ Student Teachers Learning through Theory in Practice

Source: Journal of Education for Teaching, Volume 41, Issue 4, 2015, pages 404-416

This paper presents experiences from a research and development project.
In this project, Norwegian student teachers were encouraged to bridge theory and practice by following a pupil’s learning processes over time, and to write papers based on empirical data and relevant subject theory.

The evaluations of the project received high ratings from the student teachers.
In addition, an inductive analysis of the answers to open-ended questions revealed three key aspects behind its success: commuting between field practice and coursework, the authenticity of the tasks and future relevance for the teacher profession. These aspects are interpreted building upon Dewey’s concept educative experience. The findings are discussed in the light of the importance of understanding pupils’ knowledge, and the role of writing in inquiry-based learning processes. The project is also placed within an international discussion on the relationship between field practice and theoretical coursework as arenas for learning in teacher education.