In educational literature, collaborative contexts have been highlighted as effective teacher development promoters. Especially in initial teacher education (ITE), the role of communities of practice gains prominence during school placement. Given the relevance of preservice teachers' (PSTs) beliefs in their professional growth, this work aimed to understand these communities' value in developing epistemological systems.
Eleven PSTs of an ITE in Physical Education were intentionally chosen for this study. Data collection took place during the school placement year. Three focus group moments and reflexive logs were explored. Data analysis was carried out through the procedure presented by Charmaz (2006) based on theoretical and deep coding, where emerging themes were identified.
The study has shown that: i) the cooperant teacher was a catalyst for PSTs' personal discovery about their role as teachers, and ii) the communities of practice enhanced the understanding of knowledge as evolving and connected. The engagement with guided discovery, experimentation, empowerment, and knowledge construction through different voices of the community led the PSTs to understand the nature of knowledge as mutable and knowledge development as a collaborative effort.
Since communities of practice during the school placement represented availing epistemology, it is possible to understand that these contexts enable PSTs to perceive knowledge in a complex manner, rejecting absolutist thoughts. Enhancing similar practices can contribute to PSTs' knowledge, ITE reconfiguration, and teacher training policies.

Authors:
Paula Queirós, University of Porto, Portugal
Isabel Mesquita, University of Porto, Portugal
Margarida Barros, University of Porto, Portugal

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Paula Queirós is a University Assistant Professor/Lecturer at University of Porto in Portugal

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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