Introduction: Researching innovative perspectives in professional experience

Professional experience in initial teacher education has always been valued, though there is limited agreement in Australia around the structure and knowledge base. Teacher educators from a wide range of institutions and jurisdictions worked together at a conference in early 2016 to share, critique and celebrate their different perspectives and innovative programs. The result is this edited volume of 14 chapters, representing the work of 30 authors from 18 different Australian universities, a secondary school and a state regulatory authority. Through collaborations across borders and within the field, a more nuanced understanding of the varied elements of professional experience, including new and renewed knowledge, has been recorded. This chapter provides the background, aims, rationale and synopsis of sections and chapters in the volume.