The Intersection of Theory and Practice in Teacher Preparation Courses

Abstract

The high percentage of new teachers who leave the profession within the first five years of teaching motivated the teacher educator to consider an alternative path to andragogically approaching course content. Thus, the teacher educator grappled with the process of transitioning theories of the content to application-based andragogy. The intersection of theory and practice came to fruition in one teacher preparation course. To this end, the teacher educator set out to foster a learning environment that yielded safety and trust for pre-service teacher candidates to participate in simulations throughout class sessions. In this summary, the teacher educator illuminates innovative and practical teaching practices, solutions to overcoming obstacles, and how this approach can be utilized in other curriculum and content areas.