Educational integrative center: an experience in teacher training courses

The teacher training courses have sought to introduce new educational initiatives. In this perspective, a community university in Southern Brazil has proposed the integration of its undergraduate programs through the implementation of an Educational Integrative Center (EIC). EIC is composed by common disciplines of the teacher training courses, and classes are attended by students from different courses. The proposal, introduced in 2009, considers teacher education beyond the specific discipline, not only a way to gather students from different areas in the same space, but working in an interdisciplinary perspective, aiming at the social production of knowledge and the construction of the scientific thought. This research aimed at examining how students perceived the experience with EIC, considering its implementation goals. A questionnaire with open and closed questions was used to collect data. The respondents were students from the last years of teacher training courses. The results indicate that most students realize the importance of this experience, suggesting a new teacher profile that is open to new proposals and to the dialogue with their colleagues in order to respond to school challenges.