ABSTRACT
The teaching practicum is commonly regarded as the capstone course within teacher education programmes because the former immerses novices into the actual complexities of school teaching. Recent reforms in Singapore have increased both the duration as well as sharpened the focus of the teaching practicum experience for pre-service teachers. Benefits include providing local teachers with a better understanding of the meaning(s) of their professional work and helping them apply knowledge to act appropriately across various contexts. It also assists pre-service teachers to interrogate their teaching beliefs and classroom concepts because of increased opportunities to learn for/from practice – the theory–practice nexus is explicitly foregrounded here. This chapter describes how the new enhanced practicum model in the Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) can shape their emerging identities as teachers as well as to help them inquire deeper into their professional practices. The authors conclude by discussing some implementation issues and possible refinements to the existing practicum model in Singapore.
