New directions in preparing professionals: examining issues in engaging students in communities of practice through a school-university partnership

A new school-university partnership in NSW has created exciting opportunities for preservice teacher preparation. The paper examines the results of a pilot study and outlines the main teacher preparation activities undertaken in the partnership. The paper focuses on how engaging preservice teachers in the community of practice of teachers assisted in the development of students' professional knowledge. The paper outlines three examples of preservice programmes, which incorporated legitimate peripheral participation as a meaningful component of the preservice teachers' academic studies. The major issues associated with developing legitimate peripheral participation activities as part of a preservice teacher education course are discussed.