Necessary dialogues: neuroscience, emotions and initial teacher training

Abstract

Studies of neuroscience have evinced the intimate connection between emotional moments and cognitive constructs in different educational contexts, evincing that the educational path is an inseparable process of emotional aspects. In this regard, it is no longer possible to think about initial teacher training without considering such interconnections, especially the supervised training course, which is an important pedagogical moment. This paper aims at investigating the emotions of Physics and Biological Sciences teachers-to-be at the Federal University of the Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Minas Gerais, Brazil, in their first didactic experiences in classroom. This qualitative research included class observing and audiovisual recordings of the student teacher interns, articulating them with subsequent semi-structured interviews. In the methodological field, we adopt the ideas of the Explicitation Interviews and the theoretical constructs of Paul Ekman about emotions. The results show that one of the greatest challenges faced by pre-service teacher when they begin in classrooms is to know how to deal with their emotions before different situations that arise. Some of the most frequent emotions expressed by the pre-service teacher during the classes were fear, surprise, sadness and anger. As a way of overcoming them, in many cases, they chose to move away from situations experienced as opposed to confrontation. The pre-service teacher report that mapping and discussing emotions it has been valuable in especially about yours first classes.