Teaching the medieval world in the training of History teachers

The present study describes and analyzes the concepts of Medieval History that the future History teachers have in the Teacher Training Centre called CeRP del Este. First, it identifies and describes the students' conceptions of medieval history. Having this objective in mind, it carries out a questionnaire in order to identify, describe and interpret the collected data. The work with the students is based on the study of two generational cohorts (2018 and 2019). By integrating the comparison between the two, it offers a greater possibility of reflection that completely enriches it. Some possible conclusions emerge from the results of this study. To begin with, the persistence of some visions about the Middle Ages is revealed, but not in an absolute way. In fact, this work has a very high concern for the differences. The Middle Age is an almost eventless time, in which the great powers (kings, feudal lords, Church) direct the lives of people. In parallel, recommendations regarding time, concepts and events, weaknesses and problems are revealed, from the perspective of the students in their initial training as future history teachers. Secondly, at the end of the courses, it establishes another tool to reveal the possible changes in some of the previous conceptions of the students in relation to those established at the beginning. A long-term study is conducted to capture some changes from the prevailing ideas at the beginning that may be linked to teaching practices. The final reflections do not seek generalization, but rather the understanding of some issues that emerge, in a paradoxical and contradictory way, about the medieval world and about some issues that go beyond that world. Throughout the work, several questions emerge; some are expected while many others are not, so that the final conclusions can become a new beginning.