An alternative approach for teacher education framed by a collaborative partnership setting

The study presents an alternative didactical approach to teacher education linking practice and theory through a collaborative partnership setting. Using a ―small scale teaching design in which students alternate between schools and college it was possible to show someevidence that, by following this approach, first year student teachers in a science & technology class developed teacher knowledge (as aspects of PCK). The study identifies an example using Co-Re and PaPeR as a Resource Folio to show where evidence of developing teacher knowledge is seen. This didactical approach turns the traditional teacher education on its head and begins with a focus on practice so students
alternate between school–based and college–based teaching in a cyclical fashion, and are encouraged to link theory with practice. This kind of college teaching demands a new teacher educational paradigm for which collaboration between schools and colleges is paramount.
This study indicates that a collaborative partnership setting involving college and S&T- profile schools can provide a ―room for study, and that this kind of teaching design enhances the opportunities for students‘ to develop teacher knowledge (aspects of Pedagogical Content Knowledge) from the very start of teacher education.