International Portal of Teacher Education

Source: Teaching Education, Volume 21, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 367 - 383.

In this article, the authors bring together the fields of teacher education, authentic learning, and arts-based learning to articulate a means of enhancing pre-service programs. Specifically, this article documents and analyzes the process of engaging teacher candidates in an authentic learning experience of a musical theatre production.

Data collected from 30 teacher candidates through rehearsal observations, a post-production questionnaire, and focus group interviews.

Findings indicated that participation created a sense of community and belonging, as well as developed skills necessary to carry forward art-based learning activities into their teaching careers.