Case-based learning for classroom ready teachers: Addressing the theory practice disjunction through narrative pedagogy

Classroom readiness and the attendant theory-practice disjunction remains a key concern of policy makers, stakeholders and graduate teachers themselves. Links between the theoretical knowledge that preservice teachers gain during initial teacher education (ITE) courses and the practical learning of their school placements need to be strengthened in order to enhance beginning teachers' classroom readiness, or capacity to use their professional knowledge in a classroom setting. We argue that a hybrid model of case-based learning, involving the writing and interpreting of local 'case-stories,' can offer preservice teachers meaningful engagement with 'real' teaching experiences and build context-dependent knowledge outside of the placement setting. This article describes a mixed-method pilot study on the development and use of an online resource of multi-modal place-based 'case-stories' of preservice teachers in Central Australia. It describes the three elements of the hybrid case-learning (HCL) model-the platform and place, structure, and resource-set. These elements interact to enable preservice teachers to enhance their classroom readiness through the development of narrative thinking practices and context-dependent knowledge. Preliminary findings suggest the HCL model offers scaffolding for the development of narrative epistemologies, leading to a change in thinking practices and the creation of meaningful connections between lived experiences and conceptual understandings.