In today’s world, teacher education has become much more than the training of teachers for specific local contexts. There is an expectation that the preparation of educators will include a global aspect and will prepare them for working in a globalised world (Quezado & Cordeiro, 2007). Moves towards the internationalisation of university study have been evident for two decades (Trevaskes, Eisenchlas, & Liddicoat, 2003). However, the ongoing development and use of technologies has instigated a rethinking of how international perspectives might be included into teacher education programs to develop “internationally-minded teachers” (Cushner, 2007, p. 27). 

This paper reports a small research project that investigates the views of pre-service teachers and faculty members who participated in an initiative established in an Australian university. Education Commons, was set up as a way of inducting pre-service teachers into the education profession from the outset of their university study (Henderson, Noble, & Cross, in press). This was based on the premise that it would be useful if pre-service teachers began developing a professional identity (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009) from the beginning of their study, rather than waiting until they are ready to make the transition from university to work. Education Commons operates as a meeting place, by bringing pre-service teachers, novice and experienced teachers, school administrators and academics together on a regular basis to discuss ‘hot’ educational topics. A panel of practising teachers engages in a discussion about the selected topic, with input and questions from the audience.

Initially, Education Commons began as a local event, with the panel coming from the education community surrounding the university. However, over the past 18 months, it has developed an international aspect by connecting via video link to a university in the USA. The video link has enabled interactions between panel members and audiences in the two locations – Toowoomba, Australia and Chicago, USA. This internationalisation of Education Commons was instigated in the hope that it would enhance pre-service teachers’ communication across cultures and their knowledge of global issues, whilst continuing to develop a sense of belonging to the education profession.

The research project set out to investigate the views of pre-service educators and faculty members about their experiences as audience members in these international events. The research questions asked: What were the pre-service teachers’ experiences of Education Commons? What did they think were the benefits of participating? What were faculty members’ views of the experience? How do international university partnerships contribute to the professional learning of pre-service teachers? This exploratory project attempts to build theory about professional identity, international perspectives and university partnerships.

Even though Education Commons, to date, has been an Australian-USA partnership, the initiative and the research are of relevance to teacher educators in all locations, including Europe. As noted by Roberts (2007), it is difficult to find sustainable ways of internationalising teacher education programs. However, the approach described in this paper offers a way forward for teacher educators in all locations.

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