Participant roles and responsibilities in professional experience

This document describes the roles and responsibilities of the key groups that share responsibility for the professional experience component of initial teacher education programs, which include: ƒ

• professional experience sites ƒ
• supervising teachers ƒ
• pre-service teachers ƒ
• providers of initial teacher education
• education systems.

Professional experience is the component of an initial teacher education program in which pre-service teachers develop and demonstrate their skills in the classroom. Its purpose is to provide structured opportunities for pre-service teachers to consider and undertake in practice the work of teaching, to relate the practice to knowledge and understanding they are developing in their program, and to demonstrate a positive impact on student learning. It is above all else a period of workplace-based learning. The Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers report and Australian Government response to this report, identify strengthened professional experience as one of the keys to improve teacher education in Australia.