Natural Sciences students’ experiences in pre-service teaching: challenges and strengths

Objective: To examine the teaching practicum experiences of pre-service teachers in a science teacher education program. Originality/Contribution: Delving deeper into classroom management and recognizing how future teachers think about the discrepancies between their beliefs about teaching, what they learn in their university courses, and what they observe about management practices in basic education settings, leads to a deeper understanding of how in-service teachers can support pre-service teachers in their ability to think critically and reflectively about teaching. Method: This study is based on hermeneutic studies, based on documentary analysis and reflective writings of preservice teachers. It primarily comprises two elements: on the one hand, the analysis of the perceptions that preservice teachers have of practicing teachers; on the other hand, the scrutiny of their own pedagogy. To study these experiences, observation records of the practicing teachers' practices were kept. In addition, field diaries were completed by the pre-service teachers and evaluation forms were completed by the in-service teachers themselves. Results: indicate tensions between preservice teachers and teachers. The pre-service teachers' three main difficulties were: a lack of familiarity with classroom reality, a gap between the curricular and pedagogical theories learned in university courses, and difficulty managing student behavior in each class. In-service teachers demonstrate their expertise in ensuring student control; however, the use of activities for lesson development remains questionable, highlighting teacher-centered teaching models. Conclusions: The need to reconfigure pedagogical practice as a means of understanding and problematizing school reality in order to question the teaching task of both preservice teachers and practicing teachers is evident.