Is experience the best teacher? The potential of coupling classroom and community-based field experiences

Dewey argued that personal experiences in schools are critical to the education of teachers; however, he also argued that all experiences are not necessarily educative. This study examines the potential of a novel approach to providing prospective teachers with experiences with children. This article describes the benefits of teacher education students' participation in concurrent field placements, one in the conventional classroom setting and the second in a community-based after-school program. Prospective teachers' reflections on these experiences indicated that contrasting settings for learning and teaching were instrumental in their understanding the multiple sources of influence that create both opportunities and constraints to teaching and learning at each site.