Bridging the gap between initial teacher training and teacher induction

Literature on professional development indicates that beginning teachers experience a kind of 'reality shock' in their first professional year. This paper reports an investigation aimed at bridging this gap by introducing aspects of reality shock into the practicum component of an initial teacher education programme. A new student-teaching element, 'The Individual and Independent Final Teaching period (IFTP)' was developed. III this IFTP the student teachers act on their own for three months, supervised by means of 'long-arm' supervision (involving no classroom observation). The characteristics of the IFTP that contribute to the creation of realistic working situation within a teacher training programme that at the same time help to create a fruitful and guided learning situation are described. Actual short-term learning outcomes perceived by the student teachers and their supervisors are also discussed.