Physics teachers initial education and professional performance: what do future teachers have to say?

This research deals with the discussion about Physics teachers’ undergraduate education and professional performance related to the knowledge acquired during this initial education. More specifically, we try to answer questions like: How do future teachers evaluate the knowledge acquired during their initial education as in terms of specific knowledge as pedagogical knowledge? What are their formative needs and future expectatives about professional performance and the school teaching environment? Data was constituted from a sample of 26 future high school physics teachers, one semester long, that were taking the supervised curricular training in a undergraduate Physics education program (called Licenciatura in Brazil), in São Paulo State public university. Besides the final report of this training, future teachers were asked to answer a questionnaire aiming to take their conceptions about their initial education program, their formative needs, future professional expectatives and high school teaching environment. According to the future teachers, the program they were about to finish was satisfactory in terms of Physics specific contents; however, about the pedagogical content knowledge and the pedagogical practice, they showed to be unsatisfied and insecure. The majority of the questionnaire responses demonstrated that they feel lack of teaching experience. Moreover, teachers emphasize other factors related to the future professional performance: possible difficulties to deal with students’ indiscipline, schools’ bad physical structure, limited number of Physics classes in high school level, lack of didactical laboratories and also they seem to be frightened that the expertise teachers do not be collaborative with the new ones. In this sense, the research outcomes shows the necessity of discussions about questions involving teachers knowledge, related to either, the Physics conceptual domain and the pedagogical one, since it matters directly to future teachers professional performance. Discussions in this sense can also help evaluation and restructuration of programs designed to initial and continuous teachers’ education.

A diversidade de interpretações como fator constituinte da formação docente: leitura e observação

Neste artigo apresentamos a análise de interpretações de estudantes em trabalhos desenvolvidos em duas disciplinas de cursos de Licenciatura em Física, nas quais realizamos atividades bastante distintas, uma envolvendo a leitura e outra a observação pelos licenciandos. Buscamos compreender falas escritas pelos estudantes como parte dessas atividades, e procuramos evidenciar a diversidade de interpretações e a relevância desse trabalho para a formação inicial. O apoio teórico em que nos sustentamos foi a análise de discurso na vertente originada na França por Michel Pêcheux. A consideração da não transparência da linguagem, e as noções de condições de produção, memória discursiva e repetição, bem como alguns aportes sobre possíveis papéis da observação na construção científica, contribuíram para a compreensão de discursos escritos pelos estudantes. Mostramos a diversidade de interpretações dos licenciados: ao opinarem sobre a possibilidade ou não de se trabalhar a física moderna e contemporânea no ensino médio, depois de lerem um texto envolvendo esse tema, e ao redigirem um texto sobre a observação na pesquisa científica.

Enfermeiros e a família do portador de transtorno mental.

This qualitative study aimed at investigating how mental health nurses acquired knowledge about the theme family during their academic training, how they see families in their daily practice, and how should professional training be considering the presence of the family in the care setting. Data were collected using semistructured questionnaires. Six nurses were interviewed. Data analysis allowed the establishment of three theme categories: Academic and professional training absence of the family theme; the nurses' perception of the family with a mentally ill member; and a new vision of the family the role of teaching. During undergraduate education, nurses acquired little knowledge about the theme family; in the institutional routine, they praise the family as a participant of care; and indicate that the need for knowledge about families is based on the interdisciplinary character of education.

O estágio curricular supervisionado na licenciatura em ciências biológicas e a busca pela experiência formativa: aproximações e desafios

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Educação ambiental escolar, formação humana e formação de professores: articulações necessárias

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A formação ética do educador: competência e juízo moral de graduandos de pedagogia

Traditionally, undergraduate education emphasizes theory and technique. The ethical education of the professional who will act in society is placed at most in a discipline related to professional´s deontology. Ethical discussions are developed in a bored way and the mission of educating students is considered fulfilled. Based on this analysis, the principal purpose of this study was to verify if the training provided by university has some influence on the development of students’ moral judgment and moral competence. The participants were 540 undergraduate students from the first and the last year of education from Pedagogy course from two universities of São Paulo state, one of them was public and the other private. The instruments were Defining Issues Test (DIT-2) and Moral Judgment Test (MJT-xt). The results indicated that the training received did not lead to significant improvement of their capacity to reflect about moral issues.

O léxico e seu uso em textos de alunos de língua estrangeira: um estudo descritivo pautado na Linguística de Corpus como subsídio para o ensino.

The aim of this article is to present part of the results of a study concerning the lexicon employed by students learning Spanish language in a Languages degree (Undergraduate Education program). We describe the use and the context in which two verbal forms occur. We made use of Corpus Linguistics theory in order to compile two corpora of descriptive and argumentative compositions and observe the use of two Spanish verbs (haber and tener – third person singular). 250 compositions from first and second year students were collected. The WordSmith Tools software was applied to generate the list of words and the list of concordance. The verbal forms hay and tiene were the most used, and in some cases they were applied inappropriately when compared to the traditional Spanish grammar and to an electronic corpus. The results were discussed in class and were important to raise consciousness in relation to the students’ textual production.

Da letargia ao realento: notas sobre o ensino de graduação em administração pública no Brasil no entremeio da crise do Estado e da redemocratização no país (1983-94)

Considering the meantime of Brazilian crisis of State and redemocratization, this article looks for a description and analysis of the facts and circumstances that marked the undergraduate education of Brazilian public administration during this period, considered by the authors as one of the cycles (or stages of construction) of academic education. Methodologically, this article makes a review of academic and non-academic works which deal directly and indirectly the PA themes, including revisiting the sources and analyzing the existing laws and opinions about the undergraduate education in public administration in a continuum of time between 1983-94, through a semi-structured interview with academics who have experienced such period. Regarding the results, this article observes that the period between 1983-94, unlike the first cycle (1952-65) and second cycle (1966-82), when the academic background in public administration had an identity - adherent to the conception (and project) of State and the contours (and production) in the public administration field of knowledge - having the Ebap/FGV a model case, was a problematic stage of construction, reflecting the crisis of State in the 80's years and also the paradigmatic crisis (or discontinuity) in public administration field of knowledge in Brazil during this time.

O olhar de um discente sobre seu futuro docente: uma trajetória auto formativa

The writings of this paper refer to several personal experiences as well as the various conflicts in the initial educational formation, where I'm reflecting about the formation intentions of this course. I do an analysis and a reflection of the pedagogical practices developed during graduation in institutional spaces, as well as the understanding of the complex context and teaching actions intrinsic to this, that are what constitute the structural dimensions which is where the formative process happens. This study is a narrative of initial formation as autobiographical. Memories and experiences are analyzed along with undergraduate education, exposing structural problems of course requiring a deeper analysis. In addition to analyse critically the institutional spaces of the (few) outreach programs, education and research that are the basis of the Brazilian University, the wellknown University quadripod. Under this perspective, the narrative brings the dichotomous design of the quadripod inside the University course, exposing the need to reflect on this fact, as it culminates in the formation of future teachers in physics. Nevertheless, the work seeks to raise awareness for the need for enhancement of teaching career at the University to address the teaching crisis which today proliferates in the educational institutions in Brazil, therefore it is necessary to the teachers to become aware of your profession and the vision as such. Only from this perspective one can discuss a proper teacher training, aiming at the integration of all activities, valuing all with the same importance

Undergraduate research in medical education: a descriptive study of students' views

Background: Medical students engage in curricular and extracurricular activities, including undergraduate research (UR). The advantages, difficulties and motivations for medical students pursuing research activities during their studies have rarely been addressed. In Brazil, some medical schools have included undergraduate research into their curriculum. The present study aimed to understand the reality of scientific practice among medical students at a well-established Brazilian medical school, analyzing this context from the students' viewpoint.Methods: A cross-sectional survey based on a questionnaire applied to students from years one to six enrolled in an established Brazilian medical school that currently has no curricular UR program.Results: The questionnaire was answered by 415 students, 47.2% of whom were involved in research activities, with greater participation in UR in the second half of the course. Independent of student involvement in research activities, time constraints were cited as the main obstacle to participation. Among students not involved in UR, 91.1% said they favored its inclusion in the curriculum, since this would facilitate the development of such activity. This approach could signify an approximation between the axes of teaching and research. Among students who had completed at least one UR project, 87.7% said they would recommend the activity to students entering the course.Conclusion: Even without an undergraduate research program, students of this medical school report strong involvement in research activities, but discussion of the difficulties inherent in its practice is important to future developments.

A flexible curriculum for computer science undergraduate major

This paper describes an innovative approach to establish a CS curriculum, aiming flexibility and minimization of the time spent in the classrooms. This approach has been developed at the Paulista State University - Unesp - at São José do Rio Preto, and is producing very interesting results. The load reduction is achieved through a series of fundamental core and breadth courses that precede depth courses in specific areas. The flexibility comes as a side effect of the depth courses, which can be adapted without any changes in the core courses. In the following pages we fully describe our motivations, actions and results.

Library professionals' education in the Mercosur countries

This paper deals with library professionals education in Mercosur - the Common Market of South America - established on 29 March, 1991 to expand the national markets of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, and promote free circulation of goods, services and production agents in that region. The paper presents, through a descriptive study, the undergraduate and graduate courses in Library Science, how many and what schools there are, and what programs are developed. It ends by identifying the directions in which they are moving and the challenges they are now facing.

Simulation-based cutaneous surgical-skill training on a chicken-skin bench model in a medical undergraduate program

Background: Because of ethical and medico-legal aspects involved in the training of cutaneous surgical skills on living patients, human cadavers and living animals, it is necessary the search for alternative and effective forms of training simulation. Aims: To propose and describe an alternative methodology for teaching and learning the principles of cutaneous surgery in a medical undergraduate program by using a chicken-skin bench model. Materials and Methods: One instructor for every four students, teaching materials on cutaneous surgical skills, chicken trunks, wings, or thighs, a rigid platform support, needled threads, needle holders, surgical blades with scalpel handles, rat-tooth tweezers, scissors, and marking pens were necessary for training simulation. Results: A proposal for simulation-based training on incision, suture, biopsy, and on reconstruction techniques using a chicken-skin bench model distributed in several sessions and with increasing levels of difficultywas structured. Both feedback and objective evaluations always directed to individual students were also outlined. Conclusion: The teaching of a methodology for the principles of cutaneous surgery using a chicken-skin bench model versatile, portable, easy to assemble, and inexpensive is an alternative and complementary option to the armamentarium of methods based on other bench models described. © Indian Journal of Dermatology 2013.

Collaborative language learning in Teletandem: a resource for pre-service teacher education

This article presents some of the results of a qualitative research project about the influences of the pedagogic strategies used by a mediator (graduate student in applied linguistics) in the supervision process of a Teletandem partner (undergraduate student in languages) on her pedagogical practice. It was done within the project Teletandem Brazil: foreign language for all. Based on the reflective teaching paradigm and collaborative language learning, with special emphasis on tandem learning, we analyzed the contributions of the collaborative relationship established between the graduate student and the student-teacher in her first teaching experience. The results bring about implications for the field of language teacher education in a perspective of education within practice, evidencing the experience of collaborative learning in teletandem as an opportunity for reflective teacher education of pre-service teachers.

Interdisciplinary project applied to engineering education: construction of a miniature ceramic industry

The greatest challenge of undergraduate engineering courses is to encourage creativity, cooperation with other students, teamwork, and motivation in the first years of their courses. While students have little or no contact with advanced disciplines, it is very difficult to attract their interests and encourage them to develop the skills in their undergraduate courses. This work aims to achieve these objectives through a mini-factory project involving the construction of a production line of ceramic tiles on a laboratory scale, from the ceramic processing using raw materials to the shipping of the final product. Having been given an established monthly demand for ceramic tiles, the students determined the construction requirements of the mini-factory, as they have created the layout, including the processing equipment, the dimensioning of equipment, and its operational structure. This article intends to describe the successful creation of the ceramic tile mini-factory, including the objectives, benefits, and inherent difficulties of the process and the receptivity of the exercise by the students involved.