The effect of a reform on a school organizational culture after receiving a failing Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test rating

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of a reform that took place in an elementary school during 2000/2001 as a result of a failure rating on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test on the structure and the personnel of the organization. The exploration took place over a period of 10 months starting in August 2000 until June 2001. It focused on the effect of the failure rating on the: (a) structure and operation of the school; (b) morale, beliefs, behaviors, and daily lives of teachers and the principal; and (c) the effect of the reform effort on the leadership style of the principal, whether she became a transactional or a transformative leader. The researcher assumed the role of a participant observer. Data sources were her personal recollections of major events that took place during the year of the reform, interviews, observations, and school documents. The sample included 15 teachers present during the time of the reform. Ten taught second through fifth grade. The remaining five participants were the music teacher, the counselor, and the writing, reading and technology specialists. Together they represented the instructional team or represented special education areas. The findings indicated that the reform effort had an effect on the structure and the operation of the school. The changes included reorganization of the physical set up, changes in curriculum and instruction, changes in the means of communication among the staff, and the addition of new staff members including an official agent of change. The reform had a greater effect on the daily lives of teachers and their morale than on their beliefs and behaviors. Teachers reported that during the effort their daily lives were stressful and their morale very low due to the enormous expectations that they had to meet. On the other hand, the reform effort had a positive effect on the daily life, morale, beliefs, and behaviors of the principal. It energized her. She spoke positively about the change. She functioned as an effective, positive, resilient transactional leader who did what was necessary in order to enable the teachers to cope with the complex situation.

Escrever e avaliar textos argumentativos: saberes docentes em ação

This study has investigated texts written by students from two high school- 3 rd grade classrooms, a public school in Natal- RN, and their teachers in order to reveal the nature and relevance of the knowledge that has oriented the teacher in the process of evaluation of argumentative text, set in the genre, opinion article, produced in the school setting. The corpus analyzed is compound with a total of sixteen texts, four of them corresponding to the production of two teachers (two productions per teacher) and twelve on the production of six students (two productions per student, with three students per class). All material on the production of these subjects was collected throughout the 2008 school year, with special attention for students’ productions, which were collected only after being subjected to teacher evaluation. Working knowledge of text linguistics, discourse analysis, the theory of enunciation and the aesthetics of reception, we proceeded to the analysis of production, which in according to the methodological proposal, it was held in two stages: at first, the student and faculty productions were analyzed, separately, in order to verify what knowledge about the object these subjects revealed to have already assimilated. Secondly, two sets were compared (each teacher's texts with the texts of their students). The intention was to unravel the existence (or not) of a connection between the underlying knowledge to the textual production of these teachers and their knowledge manifested in the evaluative act when the interventions made on the productions of the learner. It was found that there is a close correlation between the knowledge revealed in this action and those evidenced in their written productions, which constitutes a strong argument to validate the thesis that teachers also have been shown little proficient in performing their role as producers and evaluators of texts.

A escrita dos professores de língua portuguesa: desvelando dizeres e saberes

This documental research in a qualitative and interpretative nature is inserted in the field of Applied Linguistics and its object of study is teachers‟ writing in a literacy event (public exam) held for teachers of Portuguese Language by municipality in Natal city - RN in 2008. Overall, we have aimed to investigate the textual production of these teachers, considering their knowledge about writing, their sayings in relation to themselves and their views on new technologies and teaching. Specifically, we have chosen the following objectives: a) identifying what knowledge about writing have emerged from teachers' written text; b) analyzing the written text production of teachers, considering the knowledge they have revealed about themselves; c) mapping the sayings of the teachers about the teaching profession and new technologies. Our discussion is grounded theoretically by Bakhtin studies of language (BAKHTIN [1934], 1990; [1952-1953], 2000; BAKHTIN; VOLOSHINOV [1929], 1999); in studies of critical literacy as formulated by STREET (1984, 1995, 2006, 2010, 2014); KLEIMAN (1995, 2005, 2006, 2008); (BARTON, HAMILTON, 1998; BARTON; Ivanic, 1991); studies on teacher training in critical educational perspective (GIROUX, 1986; 1987; 1997; 1999) FREIRE, 1999; 2001). The corpus of this study is consisted of written texts by participants of this examination about the Writing Test, in which they were asked to produce an opinion paper. The research has allowed us to realize that, in relation to the writing, despite the recurring negative discourse on literacy teachers, especially the Portuguese ones, these, in the fabric of their texts, both have revealed to have dominion over the formal structure, particularly in respect to prototypical schema of argumentative sequence, as proposed by Adam (1992, 2008) and the mechanisms of textualization postulated by Bronckart (2007), and on those enunciation-discursive strategies relating to opinion genre. The relevance of this research is justified by seeking to understand the teacher‟s writing beyond the language system, i.e, writing as speech, assuming it as a contrapalavra (BAKHTIN, [1934], 1990) to those voices that insist on underestimating literacy teachers and they do so much harm to society, to the extent that foster a sense of disbelief in the qualification of teachers' work and distrust of the social role of these professionals in the preparation of future generations

Desenvolvimento profissional de futuros professores: travessias que se entrecruzam em contextos formativos

This study aimed to understand how the educational context contributes to the professional development of future teachers on introduction to teaching practice. To this end, we seek to characterize what the learning and the difficulties experienced in training contexts by future teachers, as well as the intrinsic elements to the training contexts that enable professional development. The investigated contexts were the Institutional Program Initiation Grant to Teaching (Programa Institucional de Bolsa de Iniciação à Docência – PIBID), specifically the sub-projects of Chemistry and Physics of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – UFRN) and Masters in Teaching of Physics and Chemistry of the University of Lisbon (MEFQ ). In both contexts, the future teachers are in contact with the school in a systematic way. The methodology used in our study is rooted in qualitative research with interpretative guidance and the design in the study of multiple cases with instrumental purpose. Participated in this study as the main subject, 40 future teachers PIBID of Physics, 24 PIBID future teachers of Chemistry and 5 future Master Teachers in Teaching Chemistry and Physics. As supporting subjects, participated in 3 PIBID Area Coordinators, the teacher of Introduction to Professional Practice of MEFQ, and 8 teachers who teach chemistry and / or physics in public schools. Multiple data collection tools were used: naturalistic observation, descriptive questionnaire, individual interviews, focus groups, reading of written records and official documents. In analyzing the data, we used the method of questioning and constant comparison. The results showed that the main learning of future teachers are related to the strategy employed in class, the change in the understanding of the role of teacher and student in the classroom, the construction of the professional profile and the development of collaborative practices. The main difficulties were related to the development of activities, the management of time and group, the dynamics of the classroom and the material conditions of work. The characteristics inherent in training contexts investigated for professional development are: the practice itself of the research, the collaboration, the focused reflection on practice, focus on student learning and the improving public schools. From the results, it is evidenced that the training contexts centered at school have the capability to resize the practice based on the analysis of actions, in a collaborative work as well as create opportunities for awareness of the concepts, the acting and the way to understand the profession. It is needed for effective mediation trainers, so that future teachers undertake their own practice and, therefore, they can build teaching strategies that promote learning which, in addition to increase the quality of education, favor the professional development throughout life.

Jogos de negócio : o que leva o docente de cursos da área de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas a adotar a ferramenta de ensino

The Business Games are a growing teaching strategy and alternative to the academic front through the new process of Teaching and Learning. Through literature review and semi-structured interviews, this work addresses the teachers considering their subjectivity in deciding JN as the three profiles suggested by Faria and Wellington (2004): those who use it, those who stopped using and those who do not. The research corpus is limited to contributions of 22 respondents between master and doctors teachers of Applied Social Sciences area courses in colleges of Brasília (DF), Goiânia (GO), Ribeirão Preto (SP) and Uberlandia (MG). The content analysis of the interviews allowed to infer that: (1) join the teaching strategy is a commitment to a complex planning, with constant training and proactivity related to student feedback; (2) abandons the practice is becoming less common, because managers tend to recommend it and there are more and more software available for specific disciplines. Its discussed also other contributions (motivations) given by respondents of the three groups that were not found in the literature. It is hoped that this work will serve (1) incentive to teachers on the use of Business Games as a teaching strategy (2) consultation by managers when they decide about purchasing simulation software. Finally, stands out that the educational success of JN depends not only on the various motivations of teachers, as well as the interest and commitment of the student.

A importância das histórias no desenvolvimento das crianças

Relatório de estágio para a obtenção do grau de mestre em Ensino de pré-escolar e de 1º ciclo do ensino básico

Concepções dos professores da educação básica sobre as feiras de ciência

Currently the Science fairs in Brazil have gained great incentive, examples are the regulations that the government has been implementing in education and the financing of public calls for events throughout the national territory. However, even with this incentive, some researchers point out that the scientific fairs and shows are still interpreted as an extemporaneous work by teachers. In order to know the views of basic education teachers about the fairs of Science, proposed to carry out this research. Given this situation, based mediation theory and sociocultural interaction Vygotsky (2001), the theory of instrumentalism Dewey (2002) and the proposed education through research Galiazzi e Moraes (2002), we sought to understand the importance of fair and their benefits as well as the presence in the talks of respondents. In order to analyze the answers of respondents, used to discourse analysis proposed by Eni Orlandi (2009), in which it is observed and is an interpretation of the speech of teachers, considering their interpretation and how to shape their thinking on the research object. In analyzing the results of the survey, it was noted that the teachers interviewed know the importance and objectives of science fairs, however experience difficulties that often does not allow these events to be carried out. In seeking to assist them to minimize these difficulties, it was realized the need for a product to make available guidance on how to develop research projects and assemblies of science fairs, that would provide an education for the research. Thus, resulting from research, was set up a blog and a booklet with texts, articles and report templates.

A docência na educação superior: narrativas das diferenças políticas de sujeitos surdos

Deaf teachers presence at superior education triggers a series of reactions due to cultural differences. They feel the discomfort. The cultural difference defies the established power relations. From that emerge the trading spaces with their constant shocks about problems that affect the deaf teacher participation. The thesis goes through practice, resistance, resilience and political thinking of the deaf teacher at the Superior Education. Authors like: Foucault (2004), Hall (2009), Bhabha (1998), Touraine (2009) and Veiga-Netto (2010) underlie the concept of power relations that permeate this study. Perlin (2003); Ladd (2002) subsidize with the cultural focus. The investigation came from the question: How deaf teachers make their political stands in power relations established to the construction of their narratives at Superior Education? It had the goal of identify and chart the deaf teachers narratives at Superior Education. Leaving from the interview-narrative qualitative approach it was constituted a corpus with the collected narratives. These narratives were identified in order to achieve a thematic map express in the last chapter where the constant facts of the trading spaces of Superior Education shocks unfolds. The results point to an infinity of debates. The deaf teachers do not only present initial conditions of distress, doubt and difficulty at Superior Education, but also the disposition to discuss more the everyday power chains, waged by trading spaces. The identification of the narratives was vitally important to confirm the value of cultural and linguistic recognition as strategy for new politics to the structural power relations at the university context.

Luz e vida: uma proposta de formação continuada de professores

The Course “Light and Life”, which is a product of the present research, is a mediator in helping Science Teachers on how to deal with the Physics classes in secondary school. The aim of the present study was to propose a course which can help Science Teachers with their difficulties in the teaching of Physics in the later years of secondary school, mainly about topics related to the theme Light. The elaboration of the product of this research involved structuring and applying a course of continued formation through the “Fun with Science and Art Museum-DICA, under the theme Light, to Science Teachers of the later years of secondary school, in order to promote an environment of dialogue and problem raising as means of disseminating and discussing the teaching of topics related to Light in the teaching of Sciences. The formation course presented a flexible structure in order to widen the relation between the researcher and the teachers participating in the course, aiming to give an answer to the formative needs of the teachers in relation to the theme proposed. In order to know and discuss the problems and challenges of the teaching of Physics in the Science classes, an approach of insertion and integration of concepts related to the theme Light was conducted, mainly on topics relating to the contents of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, according to the curriculum and the abilities of Sciences worked on in class, through the approach of concepts and practice which approximate the practical and theoretical reality of the formative needs of the teachers involved in this study. This work aimed to understand the relation of Science Teachers with the theme Light and comprehend the relation of the teachers with the present proposal of continued formation promoted by the Museum DICA. The methodological option of this research remained in the domains of qualitative research whose analysis was based on the content analysis. The data collection was carried out through questionnaires and group discussions recorded in audio, besides the participative observation of the researcher. As the research product, the structuring and application of a course of continued formation of Science Teachers of secondary school was proposed, under the thematic Light, and a later restructuring of the course under the same thematic based on the data collected after the application of the referred course, which will be later promoted by the Museum DICA.

Learning to 'understand backwards' in time: children's temporal cognition and the primary history curriculum

This study examines children’s temporal ways of knowing and it highlights the centrality of temporal cognition in the development of children’s historical understanding. It explores how young children conceptualise time and it examines the provision for temporal cognition at the levels of the intended, enacted and received history curriculum in the Irish primary school context. Positioning temporality as a prerequisite second-order concept, the study recognises the essential role of both first-order and additional second-order concepts in historical understanding. While the former can be defined as the basic, substantive content to be taught, the latter refers to a number of additional key concepts that are deemed fundamental to children's capacity to make meaningful sense of history. The study argues for due recognition to be given to temporality, in the belief that both sets of knowledge, the content and skills, are required to develop historical thinking (Lévesque, 2011). The study addresses a number of key research questions, using a mixed methods research design, comprising an analysis of history textbooks, a survey among final year student teachers about their teaching of history, and school-based interviews with primary school children: What opportunities are available for children to develop temporal ways of knowing? How do student teachers experience being apprenticed into the available culture for teaching history and understanding temporality at primary level? What insights do the cognitive-developmental and sociocultural perspectives on learning provide for understanding the dynamics of children’s temporal ways of knowing? The study argues that the skill of developing a deeper understanding of time is a key prerequisite in connecting with, and constructing, understandings and frameworks of the past. The study advances a view of temporality as complex, multi-faceted and developmental. The findings have a potential contribution to make in influencing policy and pedagogy in establishing an elaborated and well-defined curriculum framework for developing temporal cognition at both national and international levels.

Facteurs susceptibles d’influencer l'implantation de l'Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes et du Programme-cadre de français pour les personnes immigrantes adultes au Québec

La coexistence des services de francisation au Québec pour les personnes immigrantes adultes a fait l'objet de divers enjeux liés notamment au passage des apprenants d'un lieu de formation à un autre (Québec, MICC, 2011a). Dans le but de répondre à ces enjeux et d’harmoniser l'offre de services gouvernementaux en matière de francisation des adultes, le ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles (MICC) a élaboré en collaboration avec le ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS), une innovation pédagogique, soit un référentiel commun québécois composé de deux instruments : l’Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes et le Programme-cadre de français pour les personnes immigrantes adultes au Québec. Le but de notre étude était de mieux comprendre l'implantation du référentiel commun québécois, de faire état des représentations du personnel enseignant en francisation vis-à-vis de cette innovation pédagogique et d’identifier les principaux facteurs qui structurent son implantation. Pour atteindre ces objectifs de recherche, nous avons mené une étude qualitative dans laquelle nous nous sommes appuyée sur le modèle d'implantation de Vince-Whitman (2009) qui identifie douze facteurs facilitant l’implantation d’une politique et d’une pratique. Nous avons accédé aux représentations de douze enseignantes et enseignants en francisation qui œuvrent au MICC et au MELS lors d’entretiens de groupe en leur permettant de s'exprimer sur leurs pratiques pédagogiques et sur leurs impressions du référentiel commun québécois. À l’aide du logiciel QSF NVivo 8, nous avons analysé le contenu des propos de nos participants de recherche. Nos résultats démontrent que le manque appréhendé de ressources – humaines, matérielles et financières, et un manque de temps, de formation et de collaboration professionnelle pourraient représenter des obstacles et nuire à une éventuelle implantation du référentiel commun québécois. À la lumière de ces résultats, nous proposons un cadre de référence composé de sept facteurs d’implantation d’une innovation pédagogique afin de mieux rendre compte d’une réalité spécifique et contemporaine, celle de l'implantation du référentiel commun québécois pour la francisation des immigrants adultes scolarisés. Les écrits scientifiques et nos résultats de recherche démontrent que de diverses formes de soutien, principalement du matériel pédagogique approprié et suffisant, peuvent constituer un facteur-clé dans la réussite de l’implantation d’une innovation pédagogique.

From Where Do We Teach? Potential Positions in Public Education

This thesis is a conceptual examination of the positions from which we teach in public education. As it is philosophical in nature, it takes no qualitative or quantitative data. It offers a review of selected relevant literature and an analysis of personal and professional experience, with the intent to pose critical questions about teaching and learning. The framework of this thesis represents the following contentions: First, from its inception, public schooling served capital by preparing skilled labour for emerging industrial markets. This history is the hegemonic shadow that hangs over public education today. Second, movements toward the standardization of funding, curriculum, and evaluation support the further commodification of public schooling. The “accountability” that standardization offers, the “back to basics” that it aims for, is counter to the potential that public education might critically inform citizens and seek social justice. Third, movements toward the privatization of public schooling under the guise of “choice” and “mobility”, brought on by manufactured crisis, serve only to widen socio-economic inequities as capitalist neoliberal interests seek profit in both the product of public schools and in schooling itself. If we recognize and understand the power of public education to inform vast numbers of citizens who will, in turn, either maintain or reform society, we must ask: What do we want public education to be? What are the effects of continuing down historically conventional and increasingly standardized paths? What do progressive pedagogies offer? How might teachers destandardize their pedagogy and pursue equitable opportunities for marginalized students? How might students name themselves and their world, that they might play a part in its reimagining? For whom do we teach, and under what conditions? From where do we teach, and why? For educators to ask these questions, and to employ what they discover, will necessitate taking substantial risks. It will necessitate taking a stand and cannot be done alone. Teachers must seek out the collaboration of their students. They must offer students the time and the space to find their own voices, to create their own selves, and to envision previously uncharted paths on which we might walk together.

Satisfaction level of adults with University Programmes

This research analyses the degree of satisfaction of a sample of 874 students from University Programmes for adults and elderly, from Spain. The investigation is framed along the lines of positive psychology, specifically in Martin Seligman’s proposal, founder of this movement, who advocates that the main objective of this branch of psychological science is to investigate the healthy aspects of human life. The methodology applied is mixed. The level of satisfaction, collected through the survey technique was analysed by the SPSS 20.0 (using method CHAID) statistical program for the quantitative data; and by the Programme Atlas.Ti 6.0 (textual and conceptual analyses) for the qualitative data. The analysed data reveal that students are highly satisfied with the programme, the teachers and their peers. The discussion confirms these results, since it has also stood out in others studies

El profesorado de educación básica y su contribución a la enseñanza de las artes visuales en la escuela.

La construcción de experiencias formativas que repercuten en la asignatura de las artes visuales amplía en el alumnado su comprensión de la realidad, enriquece sus facultades creativas, imaginativas y simbólicas, lo que demanda un mejoramiento e integración de enfoques, métodos y prácticas innovadoras basados en la perspectiva pedagógica que abarcan las distintas disciplinas artísticas. El presente trabajo explora los conocimientos artísticos de un grupo de 10 docentes de Educación Básica en relación a la enseñanza de las bases curriculares de las artes visuales en los niveles de 1º a 6º año en distintas escuelas de la provincia de Bío Bío, al sur de Chile. A través de la metodología de estudio de caso, sobre la base de una entrevista semiestructurada y el análisis de contenido, permitió organizar la información recabada en dimensiones y categorías que evidencian como resultado, las complejidades, diferencias y contribuciones de las Artes Visuales en la formación integral de los niños y niñas del sistema escolar.

Lehrende als ‘agents of change’ - Konzeptionelle Überlegungen zu einer kinderrechtlichen Annotation und Ausdeutung der Standards für die Lehrerbildung

Die Dissertation geht von der Überlegung aus, dass ein Wandel im deutschen Bildungssystem aufgrund kinderrechtlicher und demokratischer Überlegungen eine essenzielle Zukunftsaufgabe ist. Dies geschieht im Besonderen vor dem Hintergrund kinderrechtlicher Forderungen, wie sie beispielsweise aus dem Status Deutschlands als Mitgliedsland der UN-Kinderrechtskonvention und des UN-Übereinkommens über die Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderung entstehen: Die Korrelation zwischen Herkunft und Bildungserfolg sowie die noch konzeptionell ungenügend entwickelten Ansätze zur Inklusion werden als bestimmend für die Diskussion erkannt. Die Arbeit vertritt die These, dass Lehrende eine zentrale Rolle in einem notwendigen Prozess der Umwandlung des deutschen Bildungssystems spielen können und nimmt in emanzipatorischer Absicht die Lehrenden als Zielgruppe in den Blick. Aufgrund der Struktur der Lehrendenausbildung wird zudem dafür argumentiert, entsprechende Veränderungen im Sinne ihrer Nachhaltigkeit und flächendeckenden Relevanz in der Lehrendenausbildung des ersten universitären Ausbildungsabschnittes zu verankern. Als Instrument, welches die Kriterien von Nachhaltigkeit und umfassender Relevanz erfüllt, werden die Standards für die Lehrerbildung im Bereich Bildungswissenschaften benannt und theoretisch unterfüttert. Grundsätzlich spannt sich der Blickwinkel der Arbeit zwischen der Betrachtung der Struktur des Bildungssystems, des Wissens und Könnens von Lehrenden und Lernenden im Sinne der Kompetenzorientierung sowie der Haltung auf, welche Lehrende einnehmen. Dabei wird aufgezeigt, dass sich diese Faktoren wechselseitig auf vielfache Art und Weise beeinflussen. Auf der Basis dieser Überlegungen wird zunächst das deutsche Bildungssystem in seinen Strukturen beschrieben und die Lehrenden und Lernenden als Teilnehmende am Bildungsgeschehen skizziert. Ein exkursiver Vergleich dreier aufgrund kinderrechtlicher Parameter ausgewählter europäischer Bildungssysteme eruiert zudem, inwiefern die aufgezeigten Bestimmungsgrößen Struktur, Wissen/Können und Haltung Einfluss auf kinderrechtliche Verfasstheit des Bildungssystems nehmen, wobei die Grundprinzipien der UN-Kinderrechtskonvention hier als Messinstrument dienen. Davon ausgehend, erscheint pädagogische Haltung als eine wesentliche Einflussgröße, die im weiteren Verlauf der Arbeit im Sinne der kritischen Pädagogik zu einer Konzeption Pädagogischer Verantwortung verdichtet wird. Vor diesem Hintergrund erfolgt eine Betrachtung aktueller Problematiken im deutschen Bildungssystem, die sich an den in den Standards für die Lehrerbildung identifizierten Ausbildungsschwerpunkten orientiert und erneut die Prinzipien und rechtlichen Vorgaben der UN-Kinderrechtskonvention als Maßstab wählt. Auf der Grundlage dieser umfassenden Diskussion werden in einem sich anschließenden Analyseschritt Annotationen vorgenommen, die die Formulierungen der 11 Standards für die Lehrerbildung inhaltlich erweitern und ergänzen. In Verbindung mit einer Pädagogischen Verantwortung, die sich der Ausbildung kritischer Mündigkeit verpflichtet, werden die annotierten Standards als eine Möglichkeit der kinderrechtlichen (Selbst-)Evaluation von Lehrenden sowie als Instrument einer kinderrechtliche Gesichtspunkte fokussierenden Lehrendenbildung verstanden und dargestellt.