Students from different levels of the degree attended the meeting held in the Virtual Classroom of the Isabel Bongard Campus to learn about relevant topics regarding the experience that future teachers acquire in such a crucial process of their training.

In an instance for reflection and exchange of experiences, the Seminar “Pedagogical Practices and their Impact on Initial Teacher Training” was established, organized by the Student Center of the Pedagogy Career in Basic General Education of the University of La Serena.

Valery Quiroz, member of the organizing team of the meeting, pointed out that the objective of the Seminar was to create a critical vision of pedagogical practice, understood from two perspectives, one from the undergraduate level (university internships) and the other from the postgraduate level (from daily professional life). “That is why we invite academics from the program, teachers who provide pedagogical services to our training, and graduates of our school to help, especially the students in the first years, to become aware of what they must face in the period of pedagogical practices, which, although progressive, represent a fundamental part of learning,” explained Quiroz.

For her part, the coordinator of the Pedagogy degree in Basic General Education, María Ester Álvarez, indicated that “for us, this Seminar is of vital importance because it allows our students to see the sequential view that all pedagogical practices have in their training process. Here there is a triad between what is worked on at the University, the commentary and reflections that come from the guiding professors, and the experience that comes from the graduates, considering that by doing internships in both urban and rural establishments, they also find "It allows us to know different realities."

During the meeting, teachers Lic. Nemesio Celis, graduate in Drug Prevention and Alcoholism, and head of the Technical Pedagogical Unit at the Federico Barnes Payne School in the town of Marquesa, presented their experiences; Lic. Gabriel Silva, in charge of the Technical Pedagogical Unit at the San Nicolás de La Serena School; Lic. Jean Mery Ceriche, State teacher in Basic General Education, at the Caleta San Pedro School; and Fernanda Espinoza, State teacher in Basic General Education, intern at the Caleta San Pedro School.

Jonathan Olea, who did his internship at the San Nicolás de La Serena school, was also present to convey his perceptions regarding fundamental topics such as the curriculum that is applied in establishments and differentiating between the concepts of education and teaching in relation to children. “I wanted to convey to all my colleagues the impact of arriving as head professor, since it is a great responsibility for the feelings and emotions that are put into play,” said Olea.

In the same context, Nemesio Rodríguez indicated that at the Marquesa boarding school they have a quite vulnerable student population, “therefore doing the internship is an entertaining, challenging and sometimes also overwhelming experience due to the needs that the students have and the conditions of vulnerability in which many find themselves,” he stated.

The professional added that “today, by being part of your community, we have built an important external support network together with the OPD, Family Courts and other instances, strengthening ties with institutions, to support students and improve certain problems. It has been a pleasant experience since it has allowed me to have a lot of freedom as a professional, where I have also had the trust of the director and the mayor who have given it to me, which is why I have come to share some aspects with our colleagues about the task that teachers have in these adverse contexts.”

In the Seminar “Pedagogical Practices and their Impact on Initial Teacher Training”, the academic Alejandra Torrejón, professor of Language and Communication, in charge of Professional Practice in the Pedagogy in Basic General Education program, participated in the panel of speakers; Dr. Erika Zúñiga, anthropologist, in charge of the Educational Sociology subject; and Mg. Bárbara Mejías, Graduate in Developmental and Learning Psychology; who provided a theoretical and referential framework.