Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which School Placement (SP) maximizes opportunities for integrating theory and practice in student teachers’ professional learning. Part of a larger project (Hall et al, 2018) the paper is based on a four-year longitudinal study, commissioned by the Teaching Council of Ireland, of a new policy initiative in which teacher educators are required to work in partnership with schools to equip student teachers to teach critically and reflectively. The paper briefly summarizes the current policy in Ireland against relevant international literature on SP. The main part of the paper analyses evidence on mentoring and assessment, and the respective roles adopted by Higher Education Institution (HEI) tutors and school-based staff, highlighting some alignments and tensions in these roles. It discusses the variability of experience and the implications for maximising the fit between theory and practice in the experience of the student teacher.