How is student teachers' learning constructed? Dynamics of teaching practice teachers and maintaining educational practice

Abstract

The present research, which was based on the theory of situated learning, focused on the learning environment of practice teachers, in order to examine how student teachers' learning environment prepared them for actual classrooms. The results of detailed observations suggested that student teachers' learning was constructed in an environment that had the dynamic of 2 motives: training student teachers and maintaining educational practice. The former represented the intention of the university faculty, whose aim was to nurture students so that they would become teachers. The latter was the motive of staff at elementary schools, whose aim was to maintain everyday practice in order to educate the pupils. At the beginning of their student teaching experience, the student teachers could not participate in educational practice; they could only watch how the classroom teachers taught. Gradually, the student teachers started to act like the regular teachers. The classroom teachers divided their responsibilities adequately and assigned some to the student teachers. As a result of the teachers' guidance, the student teachers could participate in educational practice. This learning process could be described as an example of legitimate peripheral participation in the cultural practice of the teachers.