Partnering with preservice teachers for a school science extension program

Involving students as partners in learning and teaching opens the door to transformative learning experiences. This study reports on a group of secondary science preservice teachers who joined with their course coordinator as a teaching team. The team planned and delivered a science extension program at a local primary school. The initiative incorporated partnerships at three levels: between tertiary students and their teacher, between an initial teacher education program and a school, and between primary and secondary science teachers. Preservice science teachers’ planning documents, peer reviews, reflections and conversations combined to tell stories of engagement and learning. Students reported benefits of authentic application of course learning as a collaborative endeavour with teacher and peers. Additionally, the initiative traversed the virtual barrier between secondary and primary science education, promising immediate and projected benefits. This study is part of a growing body of research on partnerships in higher education that has implications for initial teacher education and school science.