Teacher preparation programs have historically experienced logistical and epistemological struggles in implementing earlier clinical experiences, despite the value placed on reflective practice in early clinical experiences. To address this issue, the author, a university faculty member, partnered with a Professional Development School (PDS) to design a new PDS practice before the clinical experience. The new practice grounds itself in the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (CAM) and backchannel technology in order to emphasize the implementation of this teaching theory into practice. The practice uses a field-based social studies methods course to co-observe in-service teachers. Students observe with their classmates and their methods instructor, who serves as a teaching coach to the pre-service teachers. The coach uses backchannel chat technology (group text discussions) to orient, in real-time, the pre-service teachers' attention to the in-service teachers' pedagogical choices. This encourages pre-service teachers to embark in metacognition, reflective practice, and a real-time conversation surrounding clinical practices. After the observation period, the in-service teachers attend the methods course with the pre-service teachers and engage in the class discussion to further explicate their practice. This innovative use of technology, observation, and cooperation between the Institute of Higher Education (IHE) and the PDS facilitates scaffolded experiences of clinical practice through authentic learning in the PDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]