“We were able to get creative”: Examining virtual field experiences during literacy instruction with preservice teachers

Abstract

Field experiences are an integral part of teacher education programs because they provide preservice teachers with an opportunity to put the theory, they are learning in their university classrooms into practice. The purpose of this research study was to explore the preservice teachers’ virtual field experiences at two universities during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify the practices that inform teacher educators’ and course developers’ practices to provide effective and cohesive virtual field experiences. Twenty-seven preservice teachers participated in this study. Results of the study showed that preservice teachers identified experiences with new literacies (technologies), teacher educator’s role, video analysis, assignments, and working with a cooperating teacher (CT)as valuable in virtual field experiences.