Pedagogy students reflect on the learning that rural practices provide in initial teacher training

rural practices

The activity was carried out on November 23 within the framework of the actions carried out by the PI ULS1755 Implementation Plan.

Among the improvements considered in pedagogy careers is encouraging the completion of internships in rural areas, an action that is being worked on through the development of various activities that invite students to reflect on the learning and opportunities that they provides in professional development.

"Due to the fact that during this academic year collaboration agreements have been signed with the Municipal Education Administration Departments of the communes of Coquimbo, La Higuera, Salamanca, Rio Hurtado and Vicuña, we will begin to work on an incentive program for internships in rural areas, as a need for our students to receive in their training path a broad vision of professional development contexts in the area of ​​internships,” said the Coordinator of Internships in Rural Context, María Cecilia Ramos.

rural practices2In this way, the first induction activity was developed with the theme “What can we learn by doing internships in a rural classroom?”, in which the rural manager of the Coquimbo Region, Raúl Aranda, participated along with the president of the teachers. rural areas of Chile, Jeannette Torrealba.

In the first instance, the rural manager raised the particularities that rural education has, highlighting its level of inclusivity. “The study programs are the same for any school in Chile (…), but the rural school has particularities that distinguish it from other types of regular education (…,) its age diversity stands out; multigrade, where there are children of all ages sitting in the same room; Furthermore, it is a school that, since it does not have excess enrollment, welcomes everyone. The rural school is one of the most inclusive that exists,” said the professional.

As explained by the rural manager, this space guarantees equal access to education by offering learning conditions equivalent to those of all schoolchildren. In addition, it has the advantage of developing more personalized attention, as there are few students, where collaborative work becomes a pedagogical strategy.

Likewise, the organizational and spatial structure is much more flexible than a school with unitary courses, and therefore in some of the rural establishments the system of learning corners has been implemented, in which students can work at different stations (art, music, reading, among others). Likewise, currently technological resources have not been left out, and rural schools have taken advantage of the use of available ICT resources.

rural practices3On the other hand, the president of rural teachers of Chile, Jeannette Torrealba, addressed the challenges and opportunities presented in the rural multigrade classroom. In that sense, she recounted her personal experience over the forty-four years of her work career, with the aim of making visible the work carried out in that field.

“As rural school teachers, we are natural leaders and as such, we have challenges and opportunities (…), there is a lot to do in rural areas and that will depend on each of you, as authorities and as teachers, in order to guarantee the children a very good education (…). We have to do this by being models, feeling like participants in that community,” said the president.

Along these same lines, he emphasized the importance of committing to the teaching profession and taking each challenge as an opportunity, thinking about the contribution that is being made to the future and quality of life of students in rural sectors.

“The challenges and opportunities only depend on us, our vocation is the backbone, and I invite each of you to strive to be better, and to take this profession that you are embracing to the highest every time, because Being a rural teacher has incalculable wealth,” he stressed.

Source: PI Press ULS1755