Field Experiences in Teacher Education: Considerations and Recommendations

Abstract

Field experiences have emerged as a critical dimension to the teacher prep aration process. indeed, in recent years much has been written regarding the efficacy and effects of field experience involvements for preservice teachers. In this article, Cruickshank and Armaline trace the origins of field experiences, present a taxonomy for use in thinking about them, and discuss selected issues and problems associated with teaching experiences occurring in the field. The authors make eight recommendations for improving how field experiences are structured for and included in the teacher preparation process, and they briefly describe factors that militate against the accomplishment of the recommended directions.