187of the preservice teachers, this is their initial contact with school students and school
settings. Many of the preservice teachers who align with the Aspire program are
career change enrolments. This status brings a unique set of skills and experiences
that are highly valuable to the program. They come to the program with excitement,
life experience and knowledge in fields outside of teaching. The role of preservice
teachers as capacity builders was identified by school leadership teams early in the
program and disrupted the way many of our schools viewed preservice teachers.
Many of the Aspire preservice teachers have subsequently gone on to find employ-
ment in partner schools.
This expansive partnership also enables stakeholders to work across traditional
school-university boundaries resulting in a paradigm shift for how professional
experience is viewed. Through an exploration of the tensions and discontinuities
while working across and between institutional boundaries, Aspire stakeholders are
enabled to develop a critical and transformative view of initial teacher and school
student education. Our research has uncovered a range of practices and outcomes as
evidence:
- A more consistent and collaborative approach across university faculties.
- Preservice teachers, university teacher educators and school-based teacher edu-
cators co-developing Aspire curriculum has enabled a closer alignment of initial
teacher education theory and practice. - Transformation of preservice teacher learning through an applied pedagogical
teaching and learning approach. - Preservice teachers are positioned as boundary-crossers where they teach and
learn across school, university and community sites. - Preservice teachers work closely with student data and school leaders to align
school students with the Aspire program. Preservice teachers recognize low SES
school students’ high aspirations and expectations as part of the program. - The Aspire program is aligned with school improvement plans and innovations.
- Authentic ‘real-world’ learning opportunities.
- A non-hierarchical approach to initial teacher education through the engagement
in the partnership. This is particularly evident in the co-development of program
curriculum.
The Aspire program aims to raise student aspirations by working collaboratively
with schools, universities, students, parents, community and government. The
Aspire program embraces an educational approach that no longer considers disad-
vantage as a barrier. This robust school-university partnership continues to cham-
pion higher education equity and access in the community while improving the
quality of graduate teachers by working more effectively across their organizational
boundaries.
11 Professional Experience and Project-Based Learning as Service Learning