How do Teachers Teach? A Study on Characteristics of Teaching Practices

Author(s):

Maria Roldao(presenting / submitting)Helena Peralta(presenting)Teresa Leite Alexandra Frias

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

01. Continuing Professional Development: Learning for Individuals, Leaders, and Organisations

Format:

Paper

Session Information

01 SES 08 C, Reflective Practice

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-04

09:00-10:30

Room:

B035 Anfiteatro

Chair:

Simon Brownhill

Contribution

In educational research , specially in Portuagal, conceptions and representations on teaching pract ices have been more emphasized than descriptions of actual practices themselves. This research aims at illuminating better this area by means of creating and validating an instrument, based on observed teaching practices, intended to characterize actual teaching strategies. The present study is based on the assumption that improvement of school and students’ learning implies a more accurate knowledge on this variable – the ways teachers do teach –as critical to improve the quality of school service and related improvement of students learning, as many international studies have shown(TIMSS, PISA, among others). The concept of teaching that will be mobilized relies on conceiving teaching as a deliberate, sustained and intentional action oriented towards promoting someone’s learning of something (Roldão, 2007). Thus, the present study aims at contributing to the detailed characterization of teaching practices, namely about strategies and their supports, in order to build a typology of tendencies that might be used as a tool of diagnosis and analysis that will support a variety of transformative or formative actions in specific contexts.

Method

The present study aims at contributing to the detailed characterization and analysis of a field that has been relatively hidden; how can be described actual current teaching practices, namely about strategies and their conceptual supports? This aspect, importing Ivor Goodson's expression, has largely remained a "secret garden" (Goodson, 1997). Even educational research, as described in several reviews, empahasizes the qualitative study of representations and conceptions of teaching rather than the description and analysis of actual practices themselves (Roldão et al; Rodrigues e Esteves, 2003). It has been developed a study that allows for the building of a typology of tendencies that might be used as a tool of diagnosis and analysis that will support a variety of transformative actions in specific contexts, On the other hand, a more focused analysis of how do teachers perceive their practices and which concepts they mobilize will also be part of the research agenda. - In a 1st step, relying on available literature and national and international research, and based on the observation of a set (225 to 250 hours)of videotaped classes (3 classes, one week per class, at every discipline or area from 1st, 2nd and 3rd cycles of 3 elementary schools) (a) a descriptive categorical framework of observed teaching practices will be produced and (b) This framework was used to identify tendencies within the observed sample. The framework was afterwards validated in other classes and schools in order to improve its accuracy. - In a future second step, a sample of teachers involved in the observed classes (representative from every discipline and cycle) will be interviewed and their teaching plans and curriculum and evaluation materials analyzed and discussed in order to (a) identify their perception and justification for the adequacy and effectiveness of teaching strategies they used and (b) get their understanding and use of teaching and curriculum basic concepts , such as - strategy, objectives/competencies, content, assessment, differentiation, among others that may emerge.

Expected Outcomes

From the 1st step a valid instrument of characterization of actual teaching practices has been produced, that may be used for self and hetero-evaluation and improvement.From 2nd step, it is expected to obtain a qualitative analysis of teachers perceptions on their teaching and mastery of organizing concepts of teaching, that will help to interpretation of descriptive data obtained in 1st step.

References

Bibliographic References Alarcão, I. 2001 Escola reflexiva e supervisão – uma escola em desenvolvimento e aprendizagem. In Alarcão, Isabel (org.). Escola Reflexiva e Supervisão, pp 12-23. Colecção Cidine, nº14. Porto: Porto Editora Alarcão, I. 2009 Formação e Supervisão de Professores. Uma nova abrangência. Sísifo. Revista de Ciências da Educação, 8, pp. 119-128. Consultado em [Abril, 2012] em http://sisifo.fpce.ul.pt Goodson, I. 1997 A Construção Social do Currículo. Lisboa: Educa Hargreaves, A. 1994 Changing Teachers Changing Times. Ontario: OISE Leite, T. 2010 Planeamento e Concepção da Acção de Ensinar. Aveiro: Universidade de Aveiro - Programa de Supervisão, Acompanhamento e Avaliação do Período Probatório de Professores, Nóvoa, A. 2009 Professores – imagens do futuro presente., pp.69-95. Lisboa: Educa OECD/CERI 2005 Teachers Matter. Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers. Paris: OECD. Peralta, H. e Metelo, A. (2000) Core competences.In U.Bliesener (Ed) Training the trainers – theory nd practice of foreign language teacher education (vol.5) pp 89-92. Köln: International Business Communication Reis, P. e Galvão, C. (2009). Teaching controversial socio-scientific issues in biology and geology classes: a case study. Electronic Journal of Science Education, 13(1), 162-185. Disponível em http://ejse.southwestern.edu/volumes/v13n1/articles/ art7-reis.pdf . Roldão, M.C. 2007 Função docente: natureza e construção do conhecimento profissional. Revista Brasileira de Educação, Rio de Janeiro, v.12, n. 34, p. 94-103. Roldão, M.C.Strategies for Enhancing and Disseminating Good Practices and Innovation. In Schools – the Portuguese case. (IIE). (2003). In Networks of Innovation - Schooling For Tomorrow Publication, pp. 87-97. Paris: OECD.0 Roldão, M.C. 2009 Estratégias de ensino - O saber e o agir do professor. (2009) . Porto: Fundação Manuel Leão ROLDÃO, M.C., NETO-MENDES, A., COSTA, J.A. & ALONSO, L.(2006). Organização do trabalho docente: uma década em análise (1996-2005). Investigar em Educação nº 5 – Revista da Sociedade Portuguesa de Ciências da Educação, 17-148. Roldão, M.C. 2007 Research-based teacher education and reflective practice. In Texts of the Conference “Teacher professional Development for the Quality of Lifelong Learning. Lisboa: Portuguese Presidency of the European Union, 2007, pp. 39-49. Roldão, M.C. 2010 Ensinar e aprender: o saber e o agir distintivos do profissional docente. In Romilda Teodora Ens e Marilda Aparecida Behrens (orgs) (2010)- Formação do Professor – profissionalidade, pesquisa e cultura escolar, pp 25-42. Curitiba, BR: Champagnat Editora -PUCPR Shulman, L. 1987 Knowledge and teaching: foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57, 4- 14. Rodrigues, A. & Esteves, M. (2003) Tornar-se professor. Revista Investigar em Educação, nº 2, 15-68.

Author Information

Maria Roldao (presenting / submitting)

Catholic University of Portugal

Faculty of Education and Psychology

Loures

Helena Peralta (presenting)

Instituto de Educação -Universidade de Lisboa - Portugal

Teresa Leite

Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa

Lisboa

Alexandra Frias

Escola Superior de Educação de Lisboa -Portugal

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