This research investigates a collaboratively constructed observation tool as it is implemented by teacher educators into their direct work with pre-service teachers in the classroom. Constructed by the group with the explicit intention of connecting university coursework with field experience, research examines adaptations made by practitioners during feedback conferences with pre-service teachers and considers shifts in conceptions of their roles as teacher educators. Findings suggest an expanded role for classroom mentor teachers in teacher preparation, as mentor teachers are able to highlight key learning opportunities to pre-service teachers as they emerge in practice. In addition, findings point to the potential for school-university collaborations to improve coordination and coherence between coursework and fieldwork settings.