ABSTRACT
To teacher educators, establishing a linkage between theory and practice is often regarded as a challenge, as pointed out by many studies including those conducted by the Holmes Group (1995), Van der Leeuw-Roord (1998), Berry (2003), and Munns (2005). Rose (2002) criticized that “there is a widening gulf between researchers and classroom practitioners, and research often fails to focus on the real life experiences of most teachers” (p. 44). De Vries (1997) noted that one main reason for this is that many courses are taught in such a way that they are not related closely enough to teaching practice to have a real impact. Teacher-training institutions must pay attention to the transferability of what they provide, and training establishments should focus, not only on “what” is to be taught, but “how” it is to be taught (Oelkers, 2004). There is a need to establish a relationship between theory and practice. The study to be presented aimed at understanding the connection between theories and the practical contexts of teaching in schools. In this study I investigated how the theories advocated by a teacher educator became relevant to the practical context of teaching in the classroom. Through my own teaching of a curriculum embedded with learner autonomy theories, I explored the impact of my conviction on the curriculum design of the student teachers for teaching their pupils in the school.
