Teacher education in Portugal: analysing changes using ATEE-RDC19 scenario methodology

This paper presents an overview of the development of teacher education in Portugal since the Revolution of 25 April 1974, which brought the country to democracy. Making use of the scenario model created by the ATEE-RDC19, it is an attempt to make clearer the hidden philosophies underlying the changes that are undertaken and show how teacher education has evolved from a romantic and idealistic social vision towards an ideology dictated by economic and selfish interests.

Portugal: manifest for the republic education or teacher education under scrutiny

Starting from the analysis of a Manifest placed in the World Wide Web in order to gather signatures, the paper discusses the arousal of a wide spread movement of scepticism in the so called Portuguese “civil socie ty” against the overall result of almost forty years of uninterrupted educational reform that has taken place in Portugal since the late sixties and has lead to an increasing percentage of illiteracy and innumeracy. That Manifest is presented as part of a broader movement, deeply rooted in the Portuguese society, and silent so far, which is becoming stronger and has now strength enough to be part of the political agenda. It is also our concern to unveil an emerging trend of blaming sciences of education and badly trained teachers as responsible for the poor outcome of our schooling system.

Uma viagem aos saberes das formadoras de professores da Educação Infantil

This study aims to contribute with the professional development of the Trainers of childhood education teachers of the City Department of Education of Natal/RN, through a formation in context, trying to understand the teaching knowledge required in the practice of these professionals. The focus of the research is in teaching knowledge understood as the ideas, beliefs, conceptions, reasons, arguments, speeches that the trainers builds during his life (ALTET, 2001; PIMENTA, 2002; TARDIF, 2001; 2002). The study inserts itself in the qualitative approach of the educational research and the chosen methodology has characteristics of an inquiryaction. In the process, the following instruments had been used: questionnaires, press conferences, personal documents. The relevance of the present research is in achieving reflections concerning the role of the trainers of teachers, who needs to be seen as a mediator in the formation of teachers, in view of the fact that he interferes and is determinative in such a way in the formative process as in its results. The findings demonstrate that: a) the identity of the trainer is in a development process, what it is resembled to the effective situation of that, symbolically, the trainer exists, however, his attributions still are not enough clear; b) the teaching knowledge of the formation in the childhood education are related, among others points, primordially, to the function / role of the childhood education, child and teacher s point of view of this stage of the basic education; c) the Trainers teaching knowledge, concerning the teaching performance, ratifies the multiplicity of knowledge that the trainer must has, beyond the necessary complementarities and conciliation between the administrative and pedagogical aspects in the exercise of the function; d) the Trainers have knowledge that are according to the speech, consisting as declarative knowledge; e) there is a conflict between the teaching knowledge of the Trainers and the actions that are part of real life, generating contradictions between the formative saying and making

Aprendendo e ensinando o sistema de numeração decimal: uma contribuição à prática pedagógica do professor

The central question of the present study is to identify the epistemological knowledge that the teachers-trainees possess regarding the characteristics (properties) of the decimal numbering system; its purpose is to offer a contribution to the pedagogic practice of the teachers who work within the Basic Literacy Cycle, in terms of what concerns both the acquisition of contents and the development of the knowledge that helps them in the elaboration of adequate strategies to working with the Decimal Numbering System in the classroom. The study is based on the constructivist sociointeractionist approach to teaching Mathematics and it constitutes, in itself, a methodological intervention with the teachers-trainees engaged in the Professional Qualification Program in Basic Education of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. The foundations of the study were found in investigations of researchers who had carried out studies on the construction of numerical writing, showing, for instance, that the construction process of ideas and procedures involved in groupings and changes to base 10 take a lot longer to be accomplished than one can imagine. A set of activities was then elaborated which could not only contribute to the acquisition of contents but that could also make the teachers-trainees reflect upon their teaching practices in the classroom so that in this way they will be able to elaborate more consistent didactic approaches, taking into consideration the previous knowledge of the students and also some obstacles that often appear along the way. Even when teachers have access to the most appropriate dicactic resources, the lack of knowledge of the content and of the real meaning of that content make the Decimal Numbering System, a subject of fundamental importance, be taught most times in a mechanical way. The analisys of the discussions and behaviours of the teachers-trainees during the activities reavealed that they made them reflect upon their current practices in the classroom and that, as a whole, the aims of each of the activities carried out with the teachers-trainers were reached

DIFFERENT MEDIA, DIFFERENT TYPES OF COLLECTIVE WORK IN ONLINE CONTINUING TEACHER EDUCATION: WOULD YOU PASS THE PEN, PLEASE?

This paper presents some findings regarding the interaction between different computer interfaces and different types of collective work. We want to claim that design in online learning environments has a paramount role in the type of collaboration that happens among participants. In this paper, we report on data that illustrate how teachers can collaborate online in order to learn how to use geometry software in teaching activities. A virtual environment which allows that construction to be carried out collectively, even if the participants are not sharing a classroom, is the setting for the research presented in this paper.

On-line collaborative learning for in-service teacher education

This article brings some of the results of a study that analyzes a hybrid course for in-service teachers in the Project Teletandem Brazil: foreign languages for all. In this project, Brazilian teachers of Spanish as a foreign language took part in a blended tandem learning course, communicating via videoconferencing with Uruguayan teachers of Portuguese as a foreign language. The aim of the study was to verify Brazilian teachers' concepts and beliefs concerning language and culture and how the teletandem interactions affected them. After the interactions, teachers' views of culture seemed to also incorporate aspects of culture as an interpersonal process, instead of the factual and static view which was previously predominant. Therefore teacher education programs must consider the possibility of conjugating theory and reflective practice through the use of videoconference tools in order to allow teachers to experience culture rather learn facts about it. © 2011 ACADEMY PUBLISHER.

Formação inicial de professores de física: fatores limitantes e possibilidades de avanços

Pós-graduação em Educação para a Ciência - FC