‘Finally practice’ and ‘theory with a small t’? The theory-practice link in teacher education from the perspective of those involved in the centers for practical teacher education

Abstract

The relevance of increased practical relevance in the first phase of teacher training for the professionalization of prospective teachers is controversial; the scientific debate on the theory-practice link shows ambivalences. So far, completely ignored in the discourse has been the perspective of representatives of the study seminars, who are involved in designing an interlinking of the learning locations university, school and study seminar in the two phases of teacher training. Therefore, empirical reconstructions of this view of the relationship between theory and practice in teacher training are the focus of this article. The reconstructions are located in the current debate about the theory-practice link in teacher education and put in relation to the perspective of other actors, with a critical view on current discourse trends. The aim of the contribution is to bring the various actors involved in teacher training into reflection and to encourage them to process emerging mutual allegations and to rethink ingrained reaction patterns.