Critical incidents in classrooms of University Practicum

The construction of the teaching identity is a dynamic and progressive process. Some events or incidents that appear during the initial formation of the profession may have a strong emotional impact that will influence how the teaching function is represented. This study analyzes the incidents that students describe during their Practicum in the schools according to the impact they have had on their identity as future teachers. Participants (114 students in 3rd and 4th grade of Primary Education) answered an open questionnaire. 334 critical incidents were identified. The most frequent are related to the management of interpersonal relationships and the individual behaviors of the students and the management of the contents to be learned. Those incidents related to the classroom methodology, the evaluation of the learning, the relations with the mentor and the organization of the activities were less reported as influential in their teaching identity.

The systematic analysis of these incidents in university classrooms becomes a key training strategy during the initial training of teachers to help them build and rebuild their identity as future teachers.