Field experiences have long been accepted as an important and necessary part of teacher education. Their persistence and acceptance stem in part from an implicit trust in the value of practical experiences. Indeed, the need for field experiences appears self-evident to manya sine qua non for certification. The term 'field experiences' refers to all activities engaged in in schools and classrooms. They allow the student teacher to gain first hand knowledge of children, classrooms, teachers and teaching. Early field experiences and student teaching are the two formal institutional arrangements for these activities. The former is usually of short duration, occurs prior to student teaching, and offers possibilities for a variety of classroom-related activities. During student teaching, one assumes responsibility for some or all teaching over a period ranging from 8-16 weeks (Hersh et al (14]).