The course Practicum I of the Childhood Education Degree is a module formed by different formative activities with an exploratory purpose. It is oriented towards the global analysis of social and educational reality. The different activities are organized around two variables: location and grouping.

A) Location: It refers to the location where the practicum takes place. They can be classroom or field activities. Classroom activities include workshops, seminars and tutorials, either individual or collective, that help to plan and establish the formative activities that form the module Practicum I. Field activities include those activities developed outside the university, mainly linked to a pre-primary/primary school and in relation to the territory where it is located.

B) Grouping: Depending on their nature, they can be individual or group activities. Individual activities include those that each student must accomplish on his/her own. These activities can be addressed at the preparation of the fieldwork or the study of the available data of the territory. Group activities represent the most important part of the module. The group of students assigned to a particular school are expected to work cooperatively to accomplish them.

The professors of the Faculty will assign a maximum of 5 students to each of the schools assigned to the UAB. The students assigned to the same school will constitute a working team that operates collectively in all the group activities of the course.

Students registered in one group will be divided in geographic areas and will have a tutor of the Faculty.

The assessment of Practicum I must make it possible to verify the achievement of the competencies identified in this guide. It must also take into account the overall design of the subject and its methodological guidelines. The assessment consists of a set of indicators that should be considered:

Final Report. This accounts for 40% of the assessment and represents a descriptive, analytical, and reflective synthesis of the different activities, inquiries, and observations carried out throughout the Practicum. The assessment of the final report includes a group-work component, involving the characterization of the social context, the school, and classroom dynamics, as well as an individual assessment component, which will be based on individual classroom observation journals and the group journal, where aspects related to the organization, planning, and execution of the work will be recorded, along with each member’s contribution and an evaluation of group dynamics. The final report grade will be individual. The final report must be submitted via Moodle on May 25, and tutor feedback will also be provided through this virtual platform.

Tutorials and Seminars. These account for 15% of the assessment. Attendance and participation in tutorials and seminars (10%) and commitment to group work (5%) are taken into account. They involve supervision and monitoring, by the Faculty teaching staff, of certain practical and methodological activities, as well as attendance and participation in meetings aimed at communicating, assessing, and analyzing the information collected in the different schools and their contexts. Attendance at seminars is compulsory. A minimum attendance of 80% of classes is required; otherwise, the practicum may be classified as “Not Assessable.” Supporting documents only serve to justify absence; they do not exempt students from attendance requirements under any circumstances. Grades for participation in tutorials, seminars, and presentations will be individual.

Presentation of the Work in Class. The presentation accounts for 20% of the assessment.

School Report. This accounts for 25% of the assessment. This report will be issued by the school based on two pieces of evidence: an individual evaluation of the student’s placement in the classroom, conducted by the classroom mentor, and an evaluation of the group work presented to the school coordinator, based on the analysis of the institution. Only one group report per placement school will be accepted. The withdrawal or lack of commitment of any group member in completing the report or the school analysis will be grounds for failing this part of the assessment, which will be marked as “Not Assessable” and will not be eligible for resit. If this or any other assessment component is failed, and the average with the remaining components is above 5, the final practicum grade will be set at 4.

To pass this course, students must obtain a minimum score of five in each of the assessed components (final report, tutorials, seminars, presentations, and school report).

Students must demonstrate an attitude compatible with the teaching profession. Otherwise, at any point during the placement, both the school and the university may decide that the student must terminate the placement. In such cases, communication will take place between the faculty and the school, which will produce a reasoned report on the interruption of the placement, showing that the student cannot continue. If this occurs, the student will automatically fail the practicum (with a final grade of 3).

A student is considered to have an attitude compatible with the teaching profession when they complete 100% of the schedule, attend all planned activities, and assume the assigned responsibilities. They must also show respect towards members of the educational community, in accordance with the ethical standards of the profession (relating to issues such as equality, equity, coeducation, or inclusion), avoiding inappropriate behavior (xenophobic, sexist, homophobic, etc.). Students must also comply with the school’s regulations (punctuality, adherence to schedules, use of mobile phones, dress code, etc.) and communicate appropriately, both orally and in writing, in line with the language of instruction and the school’s guidelines.

Total or partial plagiarism in any assessment activity and/or cheating in an exam will result in an automatic fail of the course (with a final grade of 3). A piece of work, activity, or exam will be considered “copied” when it reproduces all or part of another student’s work or uses Artificial Intelligence for its production.

A piece of work or activity will be considered “plagiarised” when it presents as original part of a text written by another author without citing the sources, regardless of whether the sources are printed or digital (see more information on plagiarism at: http://wuster.uab.es/web_argumenta_obert/unit_20/sot_2_0_1.html).

All assessment tasks carried out during the course must be submitted within the deadlines established by the teaching staff in the course guide.

Use of AI. In this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted exclusively for support tasks, such as bibliographic or information searching. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using this technology and specify the tools used. Lack of transparency in the use of AI in any assessed activity will be considered a breach of academic integrity and will result in a penalty in the grade.

This course includes activities for the development of Digital Teaching Competence (A2).

Grades for the final report will be available within twenty working days after submission.

In all activities (individual and group), linguistic accuracy, writing quality, and formal presentation will be taken into account. Students must be able to express themselves fluently and accurately and demonstrate a high level of comprehension of academic texts. An activity may be returned (not assessed) or failed if the teacher considers that it does not meet these requirements.

It should be noted that, in the case of the Catalan language, in the 1st and 2nd years students are required to have a language competence equivalent to Level 1 for Early Childhood and Primary Education teachers, and from the 3rd year onwards, they must demonstrate a competence equivalent to Level 2.

Students must comply with the regulatory framework for placements: https://www.uab.cat/web/practicum/normativa-1345881466711.html. In this regard, the same placement school cannot be repeated in two different practicums. Placements are also not permitted in a school where first-degree relatives work or where the student is employed, without prior authorization from the university coordination: https://www.uab.cat/doc/RegulacioPractiquesBOEDOC.

According to academic regulations, this course does not allow for single assessment or resit opportunities.