Initial teacher training: considerations for the international undergraduate program

Abstract

Recently in Brazil, professor formation and incentives for teacher formation have been a recurrent subject. The International Program for Teaching Degrees (Programa de Licenciaturas Internacionais, PLI) has broadened the actions focused on teacher formation. This study reports the follow-up process of the students participating in the program and sought to analyze the insertion conditions to PLI and what were the learning opportunities for the teaching of Brazilian students. The qualitative research and content analysis allowed the systematization of data. The results indicate that: the major difficulty to implement the program was handling the contents of the specific areas; the teaching methodologies required the participation of students in the construction of knowledge; the study routine was intense; teaching with research is a reality; living “alone” created the opportunity for personal growth; the adaptation to the Portuguese culture was slow and difficult; and the course requires a full-time dedication. The professional learning resulted in obtaining a constant improvement attitude when seeking new knowledge and abilities to become a teacher.