This book takes a fresh look at 'professional experience' in initial teacher education in Australia. Using collaborative narrative methodologies, the authors critically explore the ways in which one faculty of education engages with schools, industry, the teaching profession and government policy to deliver an innovative professional experience program.

It includes chapters offering new perspectives on more traditional practicums in schools, as well as those reporting on exciting partnership initiatives where pre-service teachers, teacher educators and practitioners work together to teach and learn in new and mutually beneficial ways. There is a particular focus on the professional learning of all stakeholders from across the professional experience program.

The book allows readers to gain a new understanding of the experiences and learning opportunities available to all stakeholders when a professional experience program makes a priority of boundary work, relational work and identity work.  With the critical and creative power of narrative to convey what other research methodologies cannot, it shows how one institution has developed a variety of innovative approaches and structures in response to on-going debates on quality in teacher education, the role of educational partnerships in teacher preparation and the personal and professional insights gained from such opportunities.

Ange Fitzgerald led the Facultys International Professional Experience (IPE) programs in 2015-16 and in 2017 she was the Director of Professional Experience. Outside this space, she works with initial teacher education students, mainly in the area of primary science education as well as in general education studies focused on development and engagement. Anges research interests involve engaging in classroom-based practices aimed at better understanding what quality science learning and teaching looks like in primary schools and why.  

Graham Parr is an associate professor and Founding Fellow of the Monash Education Academy. Together with colleagues at Monash South Africa and Monash in Australia, he co-founded and led the South African international teaching practicum (2009-2012). He has published widely in international journals and books about this practicum and other teacher education initiatives he has led.

Judy Williams teaches undergraduate and graduate units in the areas of pedagogy, professional studies, professional experience, and research methods. Her particular areas of interest are teacher and teacher educator professional learning, professional becoming reflective practice, self-study of teacher education practices, and professional experience. Judy was Director of Professional Experience in the Faculty, and worked on establishing and/or leading International Professional Experience placements in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Cook Islands.

Chapter 1. Re-imagining professional experience in initial teacher education (Graham Parr).- Chapter 2. Stories from the third space: Teacher educators professional learning in a school/university partnership (Judy Williams).- Chapter 3. Beyond classroom walls: How industry partnerships can strengthen pre-service literacy teachers identities (Jane Kirby).- Chapter 4. Building stronger teacher-education programs to prepare inclusive teachers (Sarah Hopkins).- Chapter 5. Going remote: Narratives of learning on an Indigenous professional experience placement (Jennifer Rennie).- Chapter 6. Mentoring practices and relationships during the EAL practicum in Australia: Contrasting narratives (Minh Hue Nguyen).- Chapter 7. Generations of learning: A professional learning experience (John Pardy).- Chapter 8. What is finger knitting? Chinese pre-service teachers initial professional experience in Australian Early Childhood Education (Haoran Zheng).- Chapter 9. Bringing the profession into university classrooms: Narratives of learning from co-teaching primary mathematics (Sharyn Livy).- Chapter 10. Co-teaching as praxis in English initial teacher education (Graham Parr).- Chapter 11. Back to the future: A journey of becoming a Professional Practice Consultant (Ondine Jayne Bradbury).- Chapter 12. (Re)navigating the classroom as a teacher educator (Ange Fitzgerald).