Overcoming the theory-practice divide in teacher education with the ‘Partner School Programme’. A conceptual mapping

Pre-service teachers often express a strong desire for more practical experience in teacher education, which requires teacher educators to consider new, meaningful opportunities for field experiences. This paper aims to bridge the gap between two ‘practice worlds’ – university teacher education and school practice – based on the example of the Austrian ‘Partner School Programme’ in order to overcome the theory-practice divide. In this conceptual paper, we explore how the ‘Partner School Programme’ has aimed at bridging the two ‘practice worlds’ by enhancing collaboration between universities and schools in different ways: pre-service teachers can take part in fieldwork in schools within the framework of a project (project-based learning), a research activity (community-based research) or an organised service (service-learning). The paper shows the relevance of developing integrated approaches for encouraging pre-service teachers’ reflective practice as thorough preparation for their subsequent careers and provides teacher educators with new ideas for practical fieldwork.