Internationally, qualification at college and at work place in practicum is two main components of teacher education. There is a growing recognition that a main challenge for teacher education is to make these two components coherent. The debate about coherence in teacher education underlines how important it is with common visions (Hammerness, 2012) and views (Tatto, 1996; Grossman et al., 2008) between college and work arena to be able to develop qualified and professional teachers. The main actors at college and in practicum have important roles in integrating knowledge from the two learning arenas (Sfard, 1998), helping students to transfer knowledge between the arenas (Tuomi-Gröhn and Engeström, 2003), and to make practical synthesis (Grimen, 2008). The theoretical background for the concept coherence is outlined in our paper in the ECER conference in 2012 (Heggen and Raaen, 2012).

Research shows that there often are tensions in the contributions to learning from these two learning environments. Qualification at college is mostly based on the rationales of individual mastery of theoretical and ideological discussions. Qualification in practicum is primarily based on mastery of practical situations, in cooperation with others (Rolf, 1989), with a focus on bringing about good conditions for children’s learning and development. The theoretical notions and abstract models which are learned at college rarely can directly be used to solve problems in school since these problems are more complex, situational and relational in nature (Eraut, 2004, Tuomi-Gröhn & Engeström, 2003, Engeström, 1994). Developing professional expertise depend on a teacher education that can prepare for that – making students more capable of combining different theoretical notions, abstract models and practical insights, thereby better to solve educational problems at work.

In this paper focus is on the roles of the practice teacher in teacher education. They play a key role in efforts to build a coherent teacher education. She/he is a teacher, but at the same time a teacher educator. We are concerned with how the practice teachers deal with the above-mentioned educational challenges in their counseling of student teachers and argue for their priorities. We will examine their role in the making of a coherent teacher education – helping teacher students to develop as well-informed reflective practitioners.

Of concern is on what premises practice teachers find it relevant to combine theoretical/research-based with practice/experience-based knowledge. The main focus is on the practice teachers’ approach to her role as a supervisor. We are concerned with the reasons they give for their priorities. How important is it:

• to involve student teachers in established teaching practices in this school?
• to introduce knowledge to help teacher students take part in discussions and questioning about teaching they are involved in?
• for practice teachers to negotiate and argue with college teachers about student teachers education and learning process?
• for practice teachers to understand themselves as representatives of the school and/or of the teacher education/college?

In our view this is key questions to better understand how practice teachers and student teachers practicum could be a support to a coherent teacher education.

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