Emotional competences and promotion of school success: Preliminary data of an intervention programme with teachers

Teachers’ emotional competences and well-being are fundamentally important to developing and maintaining positive relationships in the classroom, which can contribute to improving pedagogical action. References to several intervention programmes are found in the literature with the purpose of changing the practices, attitudes, and beliefs of teachers, who show evidence of a significant improvement in personal competences and school success. Therefore, an intervention with teachers integrating a broader line of research was carried out, involving parents and students as well. It consists of a programme which promotes personal (well-being and emotional intelligence) and professional (acquiring differentiated pedagogical strategies) competences over a period of six months, followed by a focus group to assess the contribution of an empowerment programme with the intention of promoting school success. The preliminary action-research study involved 10 teachers of two classes with students who show disruptive behaviour in the 7th year in a school in the central region of Portugal. The teachers, of both genders, are aged between 44 and 52, and belong to several recruitment groups. The main research question was: “To what extent does an intervention programme, intended for training, contribute to developing personal and professional competences in teachers of the 3rd cycle of basic education?” The teachers revealed a rather favourable view of their participation in the programme, considering that it helped them perceive some behaviours and practices which are less adjusted to their action in the classroom with these students (shouting, scolding, etc.). From the pretest to the posttest, statistically significant differences were found in assessing their own emotions and in their use. Signs of improvement in positive affections and satisfaction with life were also found, though with a marginal significance. The preliminary data in this empowerment programme for these educational agents points towards the importance of teachers’ awareness in what concerns their pedagogical action, as well as the need to change traditional pedagogical practices that contribute to discouraging students towards learning. The need to establish closer and systematic contact with the students and their families in order to meet their needs and expectations was also highlighted.

Percurso formativo em educação pré-escolar e 1º ciclo do ensino básico : conceção e avaliação de uma mala pedagógica em contexto de expressão dramática na educação pré-escolar

O presente relatório final de estágio do mestrado em educação pré-escolar e ensino do 1.º ciclo do ensino básico é composto por duas partes. A primeira consiste numa reflexão crítica sobre as Práticas de Ensino Supervisionadas (PES) desenvolvidas no estágio, tanto a nível da Educação Pré-Escolar (PES II) como do 1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico (PES III), onde se analisam aspetos pedagógicos e didáticos e as competências essenciais aos profissionais, para a promoção de um ensino de qualidade, a partir das práticas realizadas. A segunda parte deste relatório incide sobre o trabalho de investigação desenvolvido. A questão abordada reflete acerca do potencial de uma mala pedagógica concebida para a promoção de situações de exploração da expressão dramática no âmbito da Educação Pré-Escolar. Este estudo enquadra-se numa investigação de natureza qualitativa de caráter exploratório. Utilizamos diversos instrumentos para auxiliar a recolha de dados, nomeadamente, a escala de envolvimento da criança de Laevers (1994), a grelha de observação da exploração dos objetos da mala pedagógica e entrevistas semiestruturadas às crianças e à educadora. A apresentação do estudo inclui enquadramento teórico e os resultados obtidos, dando-se a conhecer as conclusões. Tais resultados permitem entender que as sessões de exploração livre da mala pedagógica e dos objetos contribuíram eficazmente para promover interações entre crianças (sem influência de idade ou sexo) e desenvolver a criatividade e imaginação das mesmas. Ao longo deste trabalho é evidenciada a importância da expressão dramática na Educação Pré-Escolar. Ela coloca, desenvolve e desafia as capacidades de transformação e de imaginação das crianças mediante diversas situações. As malas são objetos simbólicos que potenciam oportunidades para essas capacidades se desenvolverem, criando diversas situações de exploração de jogos dramáticos, num espaço pedagógico, proporcionando momentos de aprendizagens significativas, bem como momentos prazerosos.

Emotional Skills and Promoting School Success in the 3rd Cycle: Students Perception

The perceptions about school play a central role in behavior, performance and learning outcomes. There is evidence that an improvement in emotional skills is associated with a higher school success. The aim of this paper is to know the relationship between internalizing and externalizing behaviors, emotional skills and academic success of students of the 3rd cycle of basic education. In order to promote students social and emotional skills, a pilot study in a School Grouping of the central region (Portugal) was carried out. It was made a diagnosis of disruptive behavior (ASEBA) and identified 6 children aged between 12 and 14 years old and followed by 3 focus groups with students, parents, and teachers, respectively. Six students mostly male were identified, with the predominance of externalizing behaviors and academic failure. They don’t like school and have no motivation for learning. The relationship between parents and teachers is conflictive. All parents have the utmost concern academic success and teachers perceived good practices, but without success. This program is seen in a perspective of empowerment of the educational agents to manage various environments and relationships. The results point to the importance of the systemic intervention program on the improvement of the social and emotional competences and academic achievement.