Connecting Theory and Practice in Teacher Education: A Case Study

Teachers have many problems transferring theoretical knowledge into practice. That's why teacher educators seek ways for connecting theory and practice in their pre-service teacher education programs. This study describes the activities and the effects of these activities for connecting theory and practice, as well as the recommendations of major stakeholders concerning the activities in the Teaching and Learning Literacy II and Teaching and Learning Numeracy courses in the Elementary Teacher Education Program at the University of Washington, Seattle. 11 instructors, 6 cooperating teachers, and 60 teacher candidates provided the data for this study. The research techniques of the study included document analysis, unstructured interviews with the participants, observations in the partner schools, and surveys. The data was analyzed by administering content analysis. The results of the study revealed that direct instruction by the instructors, observing an instructor's teaching with real students, preparing lesson plans, rehearsing for specific teaching methods with small groups, self-assessment or group discussions during rehearsals, as well as doing assignments are all effective for connecting theory and practice. These activities provide teacher candidates with an understanding of the knowledge of teaching methods, how to conduct teaching methods in real classes, how to make some reflections on their practice, and how to improve their teaching performance.