Formação docente continuada, desenvolvimento de práticas pedagógicas em sala de aula e promoção da saúde do professor: relações necessárias

This article presents an analysis of the results of an action of teacher continuing education in a public Brazilian university. It presents and discusses relations that proved to be necessary between the aforementioned action, the development of classroom pedagogical practices and the promotion of teachers’ health. Its theoretical and methodological foundations consist on a clinic, developmental and dialogic-argumentative character and employ the method of simple and crossed self-confrontation,in order to address professional teaching gestures. The results indicate the necessity of actions related to teachers’ continuing education, focused primarily on the concrete classroom work, which, in addition to allowing the development of pedagogical practices, makes the promotion of teachers’ health itself possible.

A avaliação de desempenho docente vista por professores: realidades, expetativas, desafios e oportunidades

A avaliação de desempenho docente tem sido considerada o alfa e o ômega dos sistemas educativos, nas últimas décadas. Em Portugal, desde 2007, esta questão tornou-se mais acutilante devido às alterações introduzidas no Estatuto da Carreira Docente que originaram uma alteração profunda nas práticas de avaliação do desempenho docente. A implementação do novo modelo despoletou forte resistência por parte destes profissionais, alimentada por uma base concetual distante da realidade das escolas portuguesas e por tibiezas na execução do processo de avaliação. O principal objetivo deste estudo consistiu em apresentar os contributos de professores para um modelo de avaliação do desempenho docente, assumindo as expetativas e as perceções destes profissionais como referente imprescindível para a sustentabilidade avaliativa do modelo. Para além disso, procedeu-se a uma breve descrição e avaliação do modelo de avaliação docente, implementado entre 2007 e 2011, recuperando perceções depuradas pelo tempo. O estudo, descritivo e inferencial, conciliou abordagens de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa, tendo recorrido a um questionário, aplicado a 585 docentes em funções no Algarve, e à entrevista, realizada a quatro informadores privilegiados do processo avaliativo. Os resultados alcançados apontaram para i) de um conjunto de pareceres favoráveis face a alguns aspetos do modelo de avaliação vigente entre 2007 e 2011; ii) uma avaliação globalmente negativa do mesmo modelo, iii) a definição de componentes das diferentes dimensões de modelo avaliativo, onde se identificou a preponderância da vertente formativa; a articulação da avaliação dos docentes com a avaliação de escola e com outros documentos de gestão escolar; a coincidência dos ciclos avaliativos com a progressão na carreira; a autoavaliação como principal instrumento de recolha de dados; a observação facultativa de aulas; a existência de avaliadores com formação em supervisão ou avaliação e capacitados com um perfil adequado; e o uso dos resultados da avaliação para a melhoria das práticas letivas e para a progressão na carreira, sendo ainda de considerar a possibilidade de acionar mecanismos de recuperação, caso existissem indicadores de insucesso na prática profissional do docente. O estudo termina com o enunciado de recomendações para a reconceptualização do modelo de avaliação dos docentes, permitindo reconhecer e eliminar os fatores conflituantes, tendo em vista a concretização da avaliação docente como estratégia impulsionadora da melhoria do desempenho dos professores, da escola e do sistema educativo. Palavras-chave: avaliação educacional; avaliação de desempenho docente; modelos de avaliação de desempenho docente; desenvolvimento profissional do professor, educadores e professores dos ensinos básico e secundário; ABSTRACT:Teacher performance appraisal has been considered the alpha and omega of educational systems in recent decades. In Portugal, since 2007, this issue has become more incisive due to amendments to the Teaching Career Statute that brought deep changes in assessment practices of teacher performance. The application of the new system has triggered strong resistance by these professionals, powered by a distant conceptual basis of the reality of Portuguese schools and weaknesses in the implementation of the appraisal process. The aim of this study is to present the teachers contributions to this teacher performance appraisal model, taking the expectations and perceptions of these professionals as an essential reference for the sustainability of the appraisal process. In addition, a brief description and evaluation of the teacher performance appraisal model, implemented between 2007 and 2011, was given, recovering perceptions filtered by time. The study, descriptive and inferential, reconciled quantitative and qualitative approaches, has used a questionnaire applied to 585 teachers serving on the Algarve, and an interview to four held key informants of the teacher appraisal process. The achieved results showed i) a set of favorable opinions about some aspects of the current evaluation model between 2007 and 2011; ii) a generally negative evaluation of the same model, iii) the definition of components of different dimensions of the appraisal system, which showed preponderance of formative purposes; the joint assessment of teachers with school evaluation and other school management documents; the coincidence of the evaluation cycles with career advancement; self-evaluation as the main data collection instrument; the optional classroom observation; the existence of evaluators under supervision in training or evaluation and empowered with the right profile; and the use of evaluation results to improve teaching practices and to career advancement, still considering the possibility of using recovery mechanisms if there were failure indicators in professional teaching practice. The study ends with the statement of recommendations for the reconceptualization of teacher performance appraisal, which allowed to recognize and eliminate conflicting factors, with a view to implementing the teaching appraisal as a compelling strategy for improving teacher performance, school and educational system. Keywords: educational evaluation; teacher performance appraisal; teacher performance appraisal systems; teacher professional development; early years teachers, primary and secondary school teachers.

Projections of teachers images by speeches: representations and memories

This article aims to illuminate the representations driven by a group of educators on teaching status. The premise that guides this study is that our beliefs and our values are consolidated in the practices in which we participate. Then, it presents something and updates to this represented, in accordance with our life story, with our individual experiences, through the interactions. For this study, interview responses were recorded, which were analyzed in order to map the movements of representations. Therefore, proposed a methodological approach, based on a linguistic-textual-discursive approach, in light of sociointeractionists principles, as seen in the catch in speech of participants, regularities that may reveal new images or enhance those teachers settings established. Explanatory and interpretative nature; qualitative approach, this research has made us realize how discourses can reveal representations, guided by the collective and individual actions, which constitute the process of building professional teaching figure. The discussed examples show that in speech, educators, project images and meanings anchored in a memory, and these are reflected in elaborate models and shared teachers today redefines the roles, positions and representations with respect to being and do teaching.  

Development and testing of an iPad application for teaching self-management to heart failure patients. (Nursing/Allied Health Professional Investigator Award)- Abstract

Purpose: Heart failure (HF) is the leading cause of hospitalization and significant burden to the health care system in Australia. To reduce hospitalizations, multidisciplinary approaches and enhance self-management programs have been strongly advocated for HF patients globally. HF patients who can effectively manage their symptoms and adhere to complex medicine regimes will experience fewer hospitalizations. Research indicates that information technologies (IT) have a significant role in providing support to promote patients' self-management skills. The iPad utilizes user-friendly interfaces and to date an application for HF patient education has not been developed. This project aimed to develop the HF iPad teaching application in the way that would be engaging, interactive and simple to follow and usable for patients' carers and health care workers within both the hospital and community setting. Methods: The design for the development and evaluation of the application consisted of two action research cycles. Each cycle included 3 phases of testing and feedback from three groups comprising IT team, HF experts and patients. All patient education materials of the application were derived from national and international evidence based practice guidelines and patient self-care recommendations. Results: The iPad application has animated anatomy and physiology that simply and clearly teaches the concepts of the normal heart and the heart in failure. Patient Avatars throughout the application can be changed to reflect the sex and culture of the patient. There is voice-over presenting a script developed by the heart failure expert panel. Additional engagement processes included points of interaction throughout the application with touch screen responses and the ability of the patient to enter their weight and this data is secured and transferred to the clinic nurse and/or research data set. The application has been used independently, for instance, at home or using headphones in a clinic waiting room or most commonly to aid a nurse-led HF consultation. Conclusion: This project utilized iPad as an educational tool to standardize HF education from nurses who are not always heart failure specialists. Furthermore, study is currently ongoing to evaluate of the effectiveness of this tool on patient outcomes and to develop several specifically designed cultural adaptations [Hispanic (USA), Aboriginal (Australia), and Maori (New Zealand)].

The knowledge base of subject-matter experts in teaching : A case study of a professional scientist as a beginning teacher

One method of addressing the shortage of science and mathematics teachers is to train scientists and other science-related professionals to become teachers. Advocates argue that as discipline experts these career changers can relate the subject matter knowledge to various contexts and applications in teaching. In this paper, through interviews and classroom observations with a former scientist and her students, we examine how one career changer used her expertise in microbiology to teach microscopy. These data provided the basis for a description of the teacher’s instruction which was then analysed for components of domain knowledge for teaching. Consistent with the literature, the findings revealed that this career changer needed to develop her pedagogical knowledge. However, an interesting finding was that the teacher’s subject matter as a science teacher differed substantively from her knowledge as a scientist. This finding challenges the assumption that subject matter is readily transferable across professions and provides insight into how to better prepare and support career changers to transition from scientist to science teacher.

A blended learning approach to the teaching of professional practice in architecture

This paper reports on a number of blended learning activities conducted in two subjects of a Master of Architecture degree at a major Australian university. The subjects were related to “professional practice” and as such represent a little researched area of architectural curriculum. The research provides some insight into the student perceptions of learning opportunity and engagement associated with on-line delivery modes. Students from these two subjects were surveyed for their perceptions about the opportunity for learning afforded by the on-line components, and also for their perceived level of engagement. Responses to these perceptions of traditional and on-line modes of delivery are compared and analysed for significant differences. While students were generally positive in response to the learning experiences, analysis of the results shows that students found the traditional modes to assist in their learning significantly more than on-line modes. Students were neutral regarding the opportunity for engagement that on-line modes provided. Analysis of the students’ gender, age and hours of paid work was also conducted to ascertain any relationship with attitudes to the flexibility of on-line delivery; no significant relationship was detected. This study has shown that students were generally resistant to on-line engagement opportunities and their ability to support learning.

Enhancing the teaching of professional practice and key skills in engineering through the use of computer animation

This paper presents some observations on how computer animation was used in the early years of a degree program in Electrical and Electronic Engineering to enhance the teaching of key skills and professional practice. This paper presents the results from two case studies. First, in a first year course which seeks to teach students how to manage and report on group projects in a professional way. Secondly, in a technical course on virtual reality, where the students are asked to use computer animation in a way that subliminally coerces them to come to terms with the fine detail of the mathematical principles that underlie 3D graphics, geometry, etc. as well as the most significant principles of computer architecture and software engineering. In addition, the findings reveal that by including a significant element of self and peer review processes into the assessment procedure students became more engaged with the course and achieved a deeper level of comprehension of the material in the course.

The four I-model for scaffolding the professional development of experienced teachers in the use of virtual learning environments for classroom teaching.

Models of professional development for teachers have been criticized for not being embedded in the context in which teachers are familiar, namely their own classrooms. This paper discusses an adapted-Continuous Practice Improvement model, which qualitative findings indicate was effective in facilitating the transfer of creative and innovative teaching approaches from the expert or Resident Teacher’s school to the novice or Visiting Teachers’ classrooms over the duration of the project. The cultural shift needed to embed and extend the use of online teaching across the school was achieved through the positive support and commitment of the principals in the Visiting Teachers’ schools, combined with the success of the professional development activities offered by the Visiting Teachers to their school-based colleagues.

A systematic review protocol on the use of online learning and blended learning for teaching clinical skills to undergraduate health professional students

Aim: This paper is a review protocol that will be used to identify, critically appraise and synthesize the best current evidence relating to the use of online learning and blended learning approaches in teaching clinical skills in undergraduate nursing.

Background: Although previous systematic reviews on online learning versus face to face learning have been undertaken (Cavanaugh et al. 2010, Cook et al. 2010), a systematic review on the impact of online learning and blended learning for teaching clinical skills has yet to be considered in undergraduate nursing. By reviewing nursing students’ online learning experiences, systems can potentially be designed to ensure all students’ are supported appropriately to meet their learning needs.

Methods/Design: The key objectives of the review are to evaluate how online-learning teaching strategies assist nursing students learn; to evaluate the students satisfaction with this form of teaching; to explore the variety of online-learning strategies used; to determine what online-learning strategies are more effective and to determine if supplementary face to face instruction enhances learning. A search of the following databases will be made MEDLINE, CINAHL, BREI, ERIC and AUEI. This review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute guidance for systematic reviews of quantitative and qualitative research.

Conclusion: This review intends to report on a combination of student experience and learning outcomes therefore increasing its utility for educators and curriculum developers involved in healthcare education.