Preparing Initial Teacher Education Students for Flexible Learning Programs

In Australia, there is currently no official training pathway or qualification required for working in Flexible Learning Programs (FLPs). This causes a problem for both new teachers wishing to work in this area and for employers who have no way of knowing whether a new teacher has the appropriate skills or knowledge to teach in this alternative context. To address this problem, we designed and implemented a program during which Initial Teacher Education (ITE) students were given the opportunity to experience teaching in a FLP. Here we report on the experiences and perceptions of the preparation program from the perspectives of the key stakeholders, including the ITE students, FLP staff, and the young people attending the FLP. All stakeholders perceived the project to be a success in enabling the ITE students to gain valuable theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the FLP context.