International pre-service teachers: A strategy to build skills for professional experience

International pre‐service teachers often encounter a range of difficultiesin their Professional Experience Practicum(hereafter P.E.P)that differentiate themfromthemajority ofthe pre‐service teacher cohort. The linguistic and communicative demands placed upon international pre‐service teachersrepresentsignificant challenges; challengesthat are compounded by the cultural adjustments necessary forthe application of appropriate teaching and learning strategiesin the classroom. These studentsmustreconcile their prior experiences ofschooling with the expectations ofthe P.E.P, even though such experiences are inevitably shaped by alternative cultures of education and pedagogiesthat often sit uncomfortably with prevailingmodels ofteaching practice in Australian educational institutions. The study reported in this paper describes an intervention programthat was undertaken with a group ofinternational pre‐service teachersstudying a teaching degree attheUniversity of Tasmania (UTAS). International pre‐service and colleague teacher perspectives both indicate thatthis group needs and benefitsfromadditionalsupportthat addresses both linguistic and cultural differences. It was also evidentthatthe preparation of pre‐ service teachers needsto be a partnership with the education faculty which extends beyond the university environmentinto the classroom.