Dr. Hizmeri-Fernandez, Julio

The Covid-19 pandemic affected teacher education; universities had to adapt quickly through emergency pedagogy. One problem that emerged was the relationship between schools and teacher students. The situation was more critical in early childhood teacher education than in others. The conditions forced them to adjust to the absence of children in the student teachers’ practicum. This article addresses the relational problem in a practicum in early childhood teacher education. Through a narrative inquiry with two early childhood education teacher students, we give an account of learning experiences in different educational spaces. During the analysis, two concepts emerged: ‘the classroom taste’ and ‘presence’ in teacher education. The research allows us to reflect on the essential focus of the practicum in early childhood teacher education from the perspective of these two concepts.

Our role as teacher educators implies questioning more than our actions inside the classroom, especially during a crisis like the one that our country and the world are currently experiencing. In October 2019, Chile awoke with a student revolt that extended nationally. After this, the COVID-19 epidemic also altered Chile's political and socioeconomic landscape. Rethinking the role of teachers in a new scenery is an issue that we address as a team of academics working on teacher education. It’s a two-pronged approach: First, we look back to observe the depoliticization of teachers and society in a neoliberal context; and second, we look forward to the issues we see in this process of post-pandemic change and Chile’s new Constitution. In the end, we connect with other components that we think are critical to re-politicizing teacher education.