FORMAÇÃO PARA O EXERCÍCIO DA DOCÊNCIA: HISTÓRIA DE PROFESSORES DE CLASSES MULTISSERIADAS – NOVO HAMBURGO/RS (1940-2009)

This study deals with the history of rural education in the period from 1940 to 2009, from the memory of ten teachers who worked in multigrade classes in the public educational system in Lomba Grande, a region in the city of Novo Hamburgo/RS, Brazil. Memories are analyzed from the perspective of "social time", when memory allows individuals to take their places in the network of social relations that are part of this context, involving collective memories of this group of subjects, whose memory allows us to understand the process of incorporation and choice of teaching, especially the aspect of training to become a teacher. The research is qualitative and uses the methodology of Oral History, with semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis. The theoretical framework rests on the perspective of Cultural History. The analysis emphasizes the size of memory in constituting teaching in multigrade classes and their relation to the representation of teaching as a cultural practice. In the set of analysis, strategies constructed in the schooling process, the conduction of supplementary courses, forms of entry into the municipal public teaching service and in-service training are highlighted. It appears that even in the fringes of the city, rural teachers in Novo Hamburgo/RS invented creative ways to continue their educational process and constant updating. Key words : Teacher Education; Teaching trajectory; Multigrade Classes.