ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the conception, design, and outcomes of a critical, project-based (CPB) experience conducted over three summers with preservice teachers (PSTs) enrolled in a secondary education licensure and master’s program at George Mason University. The authors emphasize how CPB experiences that allow teacher candidates to work collectively with veteran teachers, university faculty, and youth challenge the traditional role of clinical experience in teacher education, and reveal the possibilities of community collaboration between teachers, PSTs, teacher educators, and students in public schools. This chapter focuses on the experiences and perceptions of the PSTs involved in these CPB projects as they explored what it means it be an “exceptional” teacher.
