International Pre-service Teachers: A Strategy to Build Skills for Professional Experience

Abstract

International pre‐service teachers often encounter a range of difficultiesin their ProfessionalExperience Practicum(hereafter P.E.P)that differentiate themfromthemajority ofthe pre‐serviceteacher cohort. The linguistic and communicative demands placed upon international pre‐serviceteachersrepresentsignificant challenges; challengesthat are compounded by the culturaladjustments necessary forthe application of appropriate teaching and learning strategiesin theclassroom. These studentsmustreconcile their prior experiences ofschooling with the expectationsofthe P.E.P, even though such experiences are inevitably shaped by alternative cultures ofeducation and pedagogiesthat often sit uncomfortably with prevailingmodels ofteaching practicein Australian educational institutions. The study reported in this paper describes an interventionprogramthat was undertaken with a group ofinternational pre‐service teachersstudying a teachingdegree attheUniversity of Tasmania (UTAS). International pre‐service and colleague teacherperspectives both indicate thatthis group needs and benefitsfromadditionalsupportthataddresses both linguistic and cultural differences. It was also evidentthatthe preparation of pre‐service teachers needsto be a partnership with the education faculty which extends beyond theuniversity environmentinto the classroom.

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