Because of the value of authentic classroom experiences, teacher education programs in the United States typically include one or more early field experiences prior to final full-time student teaching. These early field experiences play a crucial role in the preparation of teachers (Guyton & McIntyre, 1990). In an early field experience, cooperating teachers serve as models who guide prospective teachers in the application of theory and instructional approaches introduced in university methods courses. The goal of such apprenticeship experiences is for preservice teachers to develop and practice their pedagogical skills, in part through close observation of the cooperating teacher. However, such field experiences "do not always lead to analysis, reflection, and growth on the part of the novice teacher" (McIntyre, Byrd, & Foxx, 1996, p. 171). In early field experiences, prospective teachers typically observe the cooperating teachers and assume increasingly higher levels of responsibility, from tutoring individual pupils to teaching small groups, and then to teaching whole-class lessons. Observation of cooperating teachers often continues in the final full-time student teaching experience, as preservice teachers observe while grading papers, helping pupils with seatwork, and performing other clerical tasks for cooperating teachers.
