237classroom readiness encapsulates more than what is described in the Australian
Professional Standards for Teachers (Gore, 2015 ). We maintain that the profes-
sional experience component of initial teacher education programs is essential in
supporting preservice teachers to reach this level and to develop more extensively.
The conceptual frameworks and the empirical studies explored in the chapters in
this volume offer new insights to teacher educators. Drawing together some of the
insights, conclusions and challenges that have surfaced as a result of the innovations
documented in this volume, we present three key themes:
- That successful partnerships are characterised and defined by variability and
contextual knowledge - That nontraditional experiences in professional placements can be points of sig-
nificant learning - That classroom readiness is enabled and enhanced through collaborative spaces.
Successful Partnerships Are Characterised and Defined
by Variability and Contextual Knowledge
School-university partnerships are an integral element of educating future teachers.
These partnerships respond to the requirement that teachers need to be sufficiently
developed if they are to begin their career well prepared and ready to fulfil the chal-
lenges of their complex professional role. In this sense they are more than classroom
ready. These partnerships between schools and universities must be effective,
authentic and sustainable (Zeichner, 2010 ). Several chapters in this volume provide
insights into the elements that enable such successful partnerships to flourish.
Findings from Chaps. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 and 12 are now discussed.
The authors of Chap. 2 report on two important aspects of successful partner-
ships as a result of their policy review and examination of four partnership projects.
Firstly, they argue that partnerships must cater to the individual needs and require-
ments of the partnership participants. They describe, in relation to their research,
how partnership agreements were structurally implemented to reach the goals of
their initial teacher education programs. The projects included partnerships that
focused on specific preservice teacher learning, mentor teacher professional learn-
ing, mutual learning among participants and the implementation of an internship
program. Secondly, and just as importantly, the authors identified that it was more
essential to focus on the outcomes and successes of the partnership than the specific
type of partnership that was developed. Although funding and resourcing were cru-
cial factors in enabling the success of the partnerships explored in this chapter, the
authors emphasise that flexibility within official policy to address the specific needs
and contextual factors were the real drivers of success.
Chapter 12 discusses the analysis of four different immersion programs. A key
finding from the comparison of the models examined highlights related findings
about partnerships. While there were similarities in each immersion program, each
14 Educating Future Teachers: Insights, Conclusions and Challenges