Throughout the l9th and 20th centuries, the field experience component has generally been acknowledged as a key element in teacher preparation. This paper places inquiry into field experiences into an historical and critical context, raising questions about assumptions that are generally taken for granted. Field experience in teacher education is explored in the context of the professionalization of teaching. It is argued that the process of professionalization with its emphasis on the development of scientific and neutral skills, methods, and knowledge resulted in an over-emphasis on instruction in technique and method. Field experiences, then, were generally embedded in programs which emphasized the development of technical skills, rather than reflection on theory in practice and alternative possibilities. It is suggested that most of these experiences were probably not at variance with the technocratic assumptions found in teacher education programs, nor with the expectations of professionalization and the role of the teacher as they have been defined in the 20th century. It is noted that these traditions raise questions about the assumptions that underlie the rhetoric of early field experiences and the effects on current practice should be examined. (JD)