Connecting University Coursework and Expert Teacher Knowledge Through Mediated Field Experiences

• In Event: University Connections With Field Experiences

Abstract

This study reports how one Secondary Teacher Education program implemented Mediated Field Experiences (MFEs) across content methods courses. MFEs were used as a way to bridge university coursework and fieldwork. We report on the various ways university instructors structured the MFEs based on their goals for the field experience. We found that all MFEs were structured around teacher candidate learning and that each MFE structure drew on partner teacher knowledge as a way to support teacher candidates in making sense of progressive teaching practice. We further report on the Mathematics Methods MFE for one cohort of teacher candidates as a way to provide specific examples of what teacher candidates learned as a result of their mediated experiences in school classrooms.

Authors

• Sara Sunshine Campbell, The Evergreen State College

• Teresa Kathleen Dunleavy, University of Washington