El prácticum como espacio de aprendizaje profesional para docentes en formación.

The lessons learned from the past make clear, firstly, that the practicum, as well as a core subject of great significance and relevance for future teachers, is a strategic period of the professional socialization process. Secondly, that the practicum provides students with an experience of great educational potential from which one can and must build the professional knowledge and competencies required for the teaching. However, despite the efforts made in recent years to increase the professionalism of teachers from the university practical training, there are still deficiencies that hinder the exploitation of this formative stage. Assuming that the practical training received during the degree course will largely determine the effective performance of the teaching profession, we think this is a relevant issue at this time of change that the University lives, especially, when trying to increase the quality of the practicum and to overcome its limitations. The present paper supports this premise, looking deeply into the study of two indicators that, according to the literature, help to understand the practicum better and are very useful for its optimal development as a valuable professional learning space: to clarify which the professorial functions and tasks that students can and must do and which the practical knowledge to acquire during their stay in the practicum centers are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]