Learning trajectories and professional development: student teacher in electrical engineering

Abstract

The article is set within the framework of teacher professional development. The research presented in this paper aims investigating the learning trajectory of a student teacher during practical experience. To understand the process of learning trajectories of the student teacher, we observed and analysed three video sessions: the first records the student teacher in a real classroom at a vocational high school in Electronics, Energy and Communicating (ELEEC). The lesson was attended by 12 male students, with an average age of 17, enrolled in the last year of vocational high school; the second video records a meeting between the student teacher with the university trainer; and the third video shows a meeting with the senior teacher. The videos and field notes were collected and qualitatively analysed by two researchers. The aim of this analysis was to single out the dimensions able to give an account of the learning trajectory of the student teacher toward their professional development as a teacher. Eight indicators were found and they were grouped into three dimensions able to describe the process of gradually gaining expertise.