Analysis of the Teaching Practice During the Early Stages of Education of Religion Teachers’

Abstract

This article presents the results obtained from an investigation about the early stages of the teacher training process in one of the fundamental areas of Chilean pedagogy programs: practical experiences within the school system.

The investigation was carried out in three Chilean universities that offer early training programs to Catholic religion teachers. Through the characteristic strategies of a qualitative study case, the perceptions of students and supervisors were obtained, which allows the identification of achievements, difficulties, pedagogical intent, evaluation
and impact of the practice processes.

The findings reveal that the perceptions of students and supervisors regarding the learning achieved through a practical education are generally positive, although there is an evident tension between the characteristic pedagogical models of college education and the school system’s requirements. This tension is encouraged by an
educational context that places Religion Class as a subject with differentiated normative provisions, which in many cases hinders and raises problems for the teacher’s job.