Early Childhood Education For Sustainable Development in Portugal

This chapter reports on the Portuguese trial of the Environmental Rating Scale for Sustainable Development in Early Childhood (ERS-SDEC) scale which was carried out in the context of the initial training of pre-school teachers at the University of Évora and during their practicum in local pre-schools. The particular context of this trial in initial teacher education provides a particular focus on the professional development of the students, and the cooperating teachers provided by their engagement in a collaborative action-research project that was focused upon Education for Sustainable Development. After providing some Portuguese contextual elements related with ESD, we will report on the trial of the scale in Évora and its results in terms of improving the quality of classroom practices and students and teachers professional development provided by their participation in the project. Finally we will share some reflections on the project, the format and use of the scale and on some critical issues that we learned to be critical in terms of ESD in Early Childhood.

Formação inicial de pedagogos: a construção dos saberes no âmbito do estágio supervisionado

O espaço da formação docente apresenta-se como um campo de investigação rico de informações frente ao contexto da sociedade contemporânea. Assim, diferentes dimensões do processo formativo vem se destacando no cenário educacional, como é o caso da Formação Inicial de Pedagogo: construção dos saberes no âmbito do Estágio Supervionado, tema desta investigação. Este estudo faz uma abordagem sobre os dois modelos de formação de professores: o racionalismo técnico e o emergente pautado nos princípios do agente social, passando por um breve histórico da pedagogia no Brasil, e avança enfocando as concepções dicotômica e de unidade dos saberes teóricos e práticos, além de analisar a construção e mobilização dos saberes docentes. Destaca-se a relevância do Estágio Supervisionado no processo de formação, o seu papel articulador entre os vários tipos de saberes. Após, contextualiza-se o Curso de Pedagogia da UVA/AP, seus dispositivos legais, enfocando as ementas das disciplinas Estágio Supervisionado I e II contempladas na matriz curricular deste curso. Em seguida faz-se um apanhado da metodologia utilizada nesta investigação, que tem uma natureza descritiva, pautando-se na pesquisa bibliográfica e na pesquisa de campo. Os instrumentos de coleta de dados utilizados foram à entrevista semiestruturada e questionário, com os supervisores de estágios e alunos-estagiários sujeitos desta investigação. Finalizando com o tratamento e análise dos dados, apresentados graficamente das informações dos supervisores de estágios e alunos-estagiários e da análise das compreensões dos alunos-estagiários na entrevista semiestruturada, a qual são interpretadas a luz do referencial teórico utilizado na revisão literária. Os resultados mostraram que a metodologia proposta foi adequada para apreciar sobre a formação inicial do pedagogo e a construção dos saberes no momento do Estágio Supervisionado. ABSTRACT: The sphere of educator training is presented as a rich of information research field in face of the contemporary society context. Thus, different scopes of the training process have been standing out in the educational scenario, as the case of initial educator training: The construction of the knowledge in the scope of the supervised traineeship, topic of this research. This study provides a comprehensive approach about the two models of teacher training: the technical rationalism and the emerging based on the social agent principles, followed by a short historical of the pedagogy in Brazil, right through focusing on dichotomous conceptions and units of the practical and theoretical knowledge, furthermore, analyze the construction and mobilization of the educational knowledge. The relevance of the supervised traineeship stands out in the training process; its role integrates different types of knowledge. After, Put the Pedagogy course: from UVAIAP into context, their legal arrangements, focusing on the subjects "Supervised Traineeship I and II", included in the study programme. Then is made an overview of the methodology used in this research, that is descriptive in nature, also be guided by a bibliographical research and a field research. The data collection resources were semi-structured interview and a questionnaire, with the traineeships supervisor and the trainee-student’s agents of this research. Concluding with the data processing and analysis, graphically presented according to the traineeships supervisor and trainee-students information and also analysis of the trainee-students comprehension in the semi-structured interview, which are interpreted in accordance of the theoretical framework used in the literary review. The results prove that the methodology proposed was appropriated to appreciate about the initial educator training and the construction of knowledge at the moment of the supervised traineeship.

The challenges of integrating the discussion of controversial issues in initial teacher training

In the framework of the Bologna process, and with regard to pre-service teacher education, it is necessary to model student-centred learning experiences in order to promote the required competences for future professional practice and critical participation in society. Despite the potential of discussion in promoting several competences, this methodology does not always integrate the teaching practices. This case study sought to: a) understand the experiences and views of future teachers from a School of Education on the use of discussion in their past education; and b) investigate the impact of an educational experience centred on discussion. Data were collected through narratives, questionnaires, interviews and participant observation. The learning situations experienced through this study contributed to the development of citizens more aware of their role in society and allowed the promotion of skills indispensable for an Elementary Education teacher.

Safe and exciting science : a pack of training activities on health and safety for science departments in secondary schools and colleges and for initial teacher training.

Es un recurso formativo elaborado en respuesta a diversas solicitudes de escuelas para ayudar a éstas en los servicios de salud y actividades de formación en seguridad. Este material puede ser utilizado por los profesores en las prácticas realizadas en los laboratorios escolares con un riesgo mínimo. Va dirigido a asesores científicos, profesores, consultores y formadores de docentes.

The challenges of integrating the discussion of controversial issues in initial teacher training

Monogr??fico con el t??tulo: " Formaci??n de profesores. Perspectivas de Brasil, Colombia, Espa??a y Portugal"

Collective construction of knowledge in the initial professional training for natural sciences

Monogr??fico con el t??tulo: " Formaci??n de profesores. Perspectivas de Brasil, Colombia, Espa??a y Portugal"

An Examination of the factors that shape the subjectivities of female art students in Initial Teacher Training

The school subject of Art and the profession of the primary school teacher are gendered female and both are considered low status within the field of Education and other professional areas of society. A number of sociological studies have examined the impact of gendered socialisation and habitus on females’ career choices and various educational initiatives have been put in place over the years to encourage females to select subjects and/or pursue career paths normally associated with males. Yet Art and primary school teaching continue to be a popular choice with middle class girls. Based on a critical ethnographic study of female BAED Art students, who are training to be primary school teachers, this study is an examination of the many factors, historically and contemporaneously that have shaped and continue to shape the subjectivities of females and frame their aspirations and ambitions. Within this discourse significant aspects of the history of Art and Art Education that have contributed to and influenced the construction of the female artist, and their consequent impact on artistically talented females’ personal identity as artists, are also examined.

How initial vocational education and training (IVET) teachers in Sweden perceive their prospects of being able to prepare upper secondary school pupils for a future occupation

Vocational teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools are a heterogeneous category of teachers, connected to different types of trade. These teachers represent a broad set of trade skills varying in content and character. In their teacher role, they continue to wear the clothes, speak the language, share the culture and remain mentally in their former professions. Still, it is central that they keep up this contact to be able to school the pupils into the environment of the trade in question, but also to help them to understand what skills a profession demands. However, the individual teacher also has to distance himself from the negative elements in the culture of the profession: patterns and habits that, for various reasons, have to be broken or changed. This paper draws attention to the ways in which a group of vocational teachers, who were participants in a project that aimed to train unauthorized vocational teachers, expressed their ambitions to prepare the pupils for a future professional career. When collecting information, we used the degree dissertations they produced and discussed in seminars, and informal dialogues. The result shows that it is important that the instruction location resembles a real working site as far as possible. These places are more or less realistic copies of a garage, a restaurant kitchen, a hairdressing salon, and so on, in order to give the pupils a realistic setting for instruction. However, the fact that these simulated workplaces lack the necessary support functions that exist in a company creates problems, problems which make a lot of extra work for the teachers. Vocational teachers also have to instruct the pupil in the experienced practitioner’s professional skills and working situation, but the pupil herself/himself must learn the job by doing it in practice. Some vocational upper secondary programs lack relevant course literature and the businesses give little support. This also makes extra work for the teachers. Moreover, the distance between the vocational programs and the trainee jobs was experienced as being difficult to overcome. One reason seems to be differences between businesses and differing preconditions between small and big companies’ abilities to take care of these pupils. The upper secondary school vocational programs also play a role in cementing existing gender roles, as well as perpetuating class-related patterns on the labour market.

How initial vocational education and training (IVET) teachers in Sweden perceive their prospects of being able to prepare upper secondary school pupils for a future occupation

Vocational teachers in Swedish upper secondary schools are a heterogeneous category of teachers, connected to different types of trade. These teachers represent a broad set of trade skills varying in content and character. In their teacher role, they continue to wear the clothes, speak the language, share the culture and remain mentally in their former professions. Still, it is central that they keep up this contact to be able to school the pupils into the environment of the trade in question, but also to help them to understand what skills a profession demands. However, the individual teacher also has to distance himself from the negative elements in the culture of the profession: patterns and habits that, for various reasons, have to be broken or changed. This paper draws attention to the ways in which a group of vocational teachers, who were participants in a project that aimed to train unauthorized vocational teachers, expressed their ambitions to prepare the pupils for a future professional career. When collecting information, we used the degree dissertations they produced and discussed in seminars, and informal dialogues. The result shows that it is important that the instruction location resembles a real working site as far as possible. These places are more or less realistic copies of a garage, a restaurant kitchen, a hairdressing salon, and so on, in order to give the pupils a realistic setting for instruction. However, the fact that these simulated workplaces lack the necessary support functions that exist in a company creates problems, problems which make a lot of extra work for the teachers. Vocational teachers also have to instruct the pupil in the experienced practitioner’s professional skills and working situation, but the pupil herself/himself must learn the job by doing it in practice. Some vocational upper secondary programs lack relevant course literature and the businesses give little support. This also makes extra work for the teachers. Moreover, the distance between the vocational programs and the trainee jobs was experienced as being difficult to overcome. One reason seems to be differences between businesses and differing preconditions between small and big companies’ abilities to take care of these pupils. The upper secondary school vocational programs also play a role in cementing existing gender roles, as well as perpetuating class-related patterns on the labour market.