ABSTRACT
Teacher education programmes generally comprise two broad components, namely coursework and fieldwork (the practicum component). It is important for student teachers to learn the knowledge fundamental for teaching during their coursework, but it is equally important for student teachers to learn to apply that knowledge in the classroom. Schools in South Africa and elsewhere ‘complain’ that universities are too theoretical, and that there is insufficient communication between teacher educators and school teachers. Conversely, universities critique schools for not adequately supporting student teachers during the practicum, with research supporting the notion that teachers are unable to provide quality mentoring due to limited time and space, high workloads, and overcrowded classrooms. It has been suggested that formal partnerships between schools and universities could ensure closer alignment between theory and practice. In this chapter, we provide an exposition of innovative school–university partnership models that have been implemented at two universities in South Africa and explain how these models have impacted the practicum or work-integrated learning component of the initial teacher education programme.
