The practicum in preservice teacher education. Building teacher identities

Abstract

This article is the result of the competitive research "Building teaching identity from practice and research in the classroom: the role of the practicum and the Final Degree Project in Initial Primary Education Teacher Training" (ARMIF_00040) carried out during the 2016-17 and 2018 academic years. The main purpose is to get closer to its participants based on their experiences, ideas, expectations, etc. in the construction of their teaching identity and the relationships that can be generated between the university and the school in the context of the initial training practicum. The research is carried out at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia, in the 4th year of the Primary School Teacher Training Degree in Physical Education and Inclusive Education. We start from an interpretative and critical paradigm where the participants, eight tutors from practical schools, eight students and eight university tutors, develop their own actions in a given social context. The analysis is based on data derived from reports, individual interviews, written reflections, field notes, minutes of meetings and a discussion group. The main results, the fruit of this educational triangle, show different elements of the practicum learning process that problematize the construction of the teaching role: the "teaching self", the practical intervention in the classroom, the relationship of students in the educational community and the link between the knowledge of the university and the school. These allow us to rethink and suggest some methodological orientations for improving the practicum.