205teachers. This resulted in greater collaboration between the university and immer-
sion schools, leading to the Professional Immersion Program (PIP) appearing to be
more cohesive. The problematic nature of building collaborative relationships
between schools and universities has been discussed earlier in the chapter (e.g.
Zeichner, 2010 ), and professional conversation workshops to some extent bridged
this divide.
Structure and Implementation
The Professional Immersion Program (PIP) was a 16-day immersion experience for
preservice teachers enrolled in the Master of Teaching Primary or Master of
Teaching Secondary program. The PIP commenced in the second week of the
Master of Teaching program; preservice teachers had 4 days in a designated immer-
sion school with specific daily tasks. Tasks included accessing the school’s different
policies (e.g. welfare, literacy, numeracy, etc.), observing teachers teaching differ-
ent year levels, observing a range of subjects being taught and collecting informa-
tion regarding school resources (computers, iPads, library, internet, sports
equipment, etc.). Preservice teachers were paired so as to support the preservice
teachers’ immersion experience, to reduce anxiety, to facilitate shared conversations
on their observations and to provide opportunities for preservice teachers to under-
take team teaching. Preservice teachers returned for 1 day at university to discuss
and reflect on their tasks, observations and experiences during the 4-day intensive
immersion. The 4-day intensive immersion experience was designed to demonstrate
to preservice teachers the reality of the complex nature of schools and teaching to
inform and confirm their choice of teaching as their profession. After the first week,
preservice teachers had 1 day a week for 12 weeks immersed within the school, fol-
lowed by a 3-week placement at the end of the first semester and a 3-week place-
ment at the end of the second semester, totalling a 46-day integrated immersion/
practicum program.
To support the implementation of the Professional Immersion Program (PIP), a
number of initiatives were employed based on the previous Graduate Diploma of
Teaching immersion program:
- Immersion schools, in-school coordinators and school leaders were invited to a
2-h workshop summarising the purpose and structure of the PIP. - Workshops and all correspondence with schools, school leaders and mentor
teachers placed an emphasis on the importance of teachers’ professional and
practical knowledge being complementary to university theoretical knowledge. - Preservice teachers were organised in pairs and matched to a selected mentor
classroom teacher. - Paired preservice teachers were expected to observe a wide range of classrooms,
year levels, subjects and school activities including bus duty, yard duty, school
sport, faculty/staff and professional learning and welfare meetings.
12 Immersion Programs in Australia: Exploring Four Models for Developing...