Student teachers eliciting mentors' practical knowledge and comparing it to their own beliefs

Student teachers have at their disposal various information sources concerning teaching: their own beliefs, their mentors' practical knowledge, and 'theory'. Because practical knowledge often remains implicit, the aim of the present study was to explore the appropriateness of two techniques for its articulation: concept mapping and completing sentences. The criterion used was that these should not only elicit descriptions of how to teach, but also the cognitions underlying teaching, i.e., practical knowledge. Thirty-five student teachers and their mentors at a postgraduate teacher-training institute in the Netherlands used both techniques, concerning the subject of 'order'. Subsequently, the students summarized their own beliefs, their mentors' practical knowledge, and theory and compared these to each other. The student teachers' reports showed that they, in general, had been able to elicit partially their mentors' practical knowledge. It was concluded that the use of the techniques involved seemed valuable for student teachers' learning processes. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.