LAUSR

In Ireland, at present, the roles and responsibilities of the educational partners regarding initial teacher education (ITE) are in transition. ITE routes have been extended allowing for additional focus to be placed on the central component of school placement. This material change, as well as policies promoting collaborative practice, teachers as researchers and professional learning communities (PLCs), prompted us to reflect on our practice and to challenge assumptions in relation to teaching and learning. Among the outcomes of the work was a reassessment and reorientation of current approaches on the Professional Master of Education (PME) programme to better prepare student teachers for their future careers in post-primary schools. This article reports on the development of and findings from a team teaching pilot project in the Department of Education of Maynooth University for student teachers and their co-operating teachers. The project was undertaken to provide space for the participants, including the authors, to reappraise the approach to teacher education, to explore the team teaching process, to focus on its affective dimension and foster collaborative practices in education.