Turning to the Language of Relationship in Student Teaching

Abstract

Introduction:  As a teacher educator of pre-service students, part of my responsibility is to supervise students during their practice teaching rounds. During conversations with associate teachers,' many questions have been raised about their role in relation to the Practicum. These questions in turn prompted me to consider, how might we understand the nature of the relationship between an associate teacher and a student teacher? As I pondered on my understanding of this relationship, I wondered about it in terms of what is written in faculty of education handbooks and educational literature. Was there more? How might associate teachers' experiences be listened to and written about differently? Associate teachers speak in terms of personal uncertainty, professional duty and a feeling of being taken-for-granted (Slocum, 1989). They talk about discovering conflicts in their positions, their concerns and tensions and the pleasure and excitement of experiencing collegiality with the student teacher (Slocum, 1989). Is this pointed to as part of the associate teachers role and responsibility in practicum handbooks? In other words, what remains silent and hidden and taken for granted about this relationship? In what way may we enter into this relationship so that the invisible becomes visible?