Representations on Teaching in the process of teacher professionalization and professional identity construction
Author(s):
Selma Alfonsi (presenting / submitting) Rafael Conde Barbosa (presenting) Vera Placco
Conference:
ECER 2015
Network:
10. Teacher Education Research
Format:
Paper

Session Information

10 SES 03 A,

Paper Session

Time:
2015-09-08
17:15-18:45
Room:
VII. Előadó [C]
Chair:
Amanda Berry

Contribution

This study presents the results of a teacher professionalization research, from the Research Line entitled Psychosocial Processes of the Teacher’s Education and Work, under the UNESCO Chair, and aims to identify "teacher’s work conditions as generators and keepers of practices and representations about teaching in the process of teacher professionalization and professional identity construction".

Dubar proposes that the identity is the result of a double operation: differentiation, the act of defining oneself as different, “what constitutes the singularity of something or someone comparatively to someone else or something else: The identity is the difference” and generalization, which enables the individual to identify himself/herself with common aspects of certain group, “identity is the common belonging”. These operations, differentiation and generalization create a paradox: “what is unique and what is shared.” From this perspective, for this scholar there isn’t identity without alterity; i.e., the individual is constituted from the gaze of the other, at certain time and context. (2009, pg.13)

The author presents two interconnected processes in the individuals’ identification approaches: relational and biographic, and the identity construction will occur in both. The relational process refers to the assignments the individual receives, the recognitions and non-recognitions received. The biographic process involves more subjective issues; the individual shall construe events according to his/her prior experiences, as well as a result of his/her future projections. These two processes will always be joined and interacting. (DUBAR, 2005)

The individual lives in a society, receives assignments, undergoes his/her experiences, accepts or not the tasks perceived to be assigned to him/her, and constantly redefines himself/herself. These processes are nested in a continuous and dialectic movement. “The identity of an individual is not constructed without his/her awareness; nevertheless, one cannot do without others in order to forge one’s own identity” (DUBAR, 2005, pg.143)

Our studies show how important it is to have a better understanding of teachers’ identity movements in order to be able to carry out teachers’ education plans on a more efficient and effective basis. Placco & Souza (2006, pg.23) state that “it’s not possible to conceive the adult learning, especially the adult teacher, without considering the identity construction process”. It’s important to underline that teachers’ representations, as well as the concepts related to the profession, are crucial elements in the teacher’s identity construction.

Having understood the importance of the other’s gaze in the individuals’ identity construction, it becomes necessary to emphasize that even in a globalized and highly technological world, we must reaffirm the importance of the teacher’s role throughout the educative process, as well as the recognition of this 21st century’s teacher professionalism configuration: A person that has to be prepared to interact with new media, with students from several family patterns, and a society that increasingly demands the school’s participation in the education of its students.

Marcelo (2009b, pg. 8) states that being a teacher in the 21st century involves to  take charge of both knowledge and students, whose transformation is faster than the one it used to be. In order to respond properly to the student’s right to learn, the teacher is required to make double effort to keep learning, since teacher’s commitment has a crucial role in the students’ learning possibilities.

Analyzing teacher’s work conditions as generators and keepers of practices and representations on teaching, shall allow us to understand and influence in the identity construction of the adult teacher, and in his/her teaching professionalism process, as well as understanding the dimension and extension of the influence of such work conditions in this process.

Method

This research had the participation of 25 Elementary School (6th - 9th grade) teachers, with 5-10 years of experience, working at public and private institutions in the city of São Paulo. Fourteen of them work at the public teaching network, seven men and seven women, and 11 work in the private network, six men and five women. Data was collected through an instrument specially developed for this research, based on the Q Technique by W. Stephenson (GATTI, 1972), whose premise is to capture the teacher’s subjectivity by evaluating the scores given to a set of statements that reveal teaching situations. Through this instrument, the individuals would rank the statements based on their own values, experiences and beliefs. The instrument consisted of a table with two lines and 11 columns. The upper line, numbered 0 to 10, indicated the values the individual would assign to the statements, in which 0 was the lowest value and 10 the highest. The lower line limited the number of choices to be placed in each column. The respondent received 70 cards with statements and would rank them. After collection, data was subjected to statistical analysis as foreseen by the Q Technique. After statistical treatment, the individuals were split into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 20 individuals whose factor loading drew them closer, with higher values correlation; and Group 2 with 5 individuals, without values correlation. In this study we will use the statements to which the respondents of Group 1 assigned the highest values, that is: 10, 9 and 8 and were classified into two major categories: Meaning of Teacher’s Profession and Teacher’s Professionalism. For this text we decided to analyze the statements joined in the Teacher’s Professionalism category, as described below: Professional Education: I have learned a lot since I first came to this school; The teacher has to be a qualified professional in order to be in a classroom; The teacher has always to search for more. The teacher has always to challenge and improve. Interaction for Knowledge Construction/ Shared Work: Teacher’s work is an interaction work (teacher-student) to construct knowledge; the teacher has to deal with the fact that people are different. Organization of the Teacher’s Work: I think I have to be the one that evokes students’ learning; planning the class is crucial in my work; I believe the teacher is a change agent.

Expected Outcomes

The teaching profession is about choices, and there is a political nature involving the school and its agents. This is revealed, for example, in the choice of the statements, “I believe the teacher is a change agent”, as one of the main items, which was present in both categories, Meaning of the Teaching Profession and Teacher Professionalism. The school tries to meet the society’s needs and the increase of demands towards educational institutions, as a result, the political dimension has to be further discussed and strengthened, so that this change agent role can be consolidated on an effective basis. As the objective of this study is to identify the work conditions of the teacher as generator and keeper of teaching practices and representations in the process of teacher professionalization and professional identity construction, we have observed that, despite the difficulties found, the respondents in this research perceive themselves as co-participants in their students’ learning, as change agents and, therefore, they need to be prepared for the upcoming demands. These individuals treasure their own learning, which is established not only in their daily practices, but mostly in their moments of professional development, inside and outside the school environments. All in all, we have identified as work conditions, recognized by the teachers: the teacher’s knowledge and education, the interaction with others, the shared work, teacher’s attitude and availability to perform and change, and planning, all of them ruled by the political dimension. Placco (2008) emphasizes the importance to consider the ethical and political dimension in teacher’s education, as well as the fact that the teacher must be aware that his/her work is full of purposes, imbued with political and ethical positioning. Teacher’s actions must be ruled by principles committed to the education of a certain type of human being inserted in certain society.

References

DUBAR, C. La socialisation - Construction des identités sociales et professionnelles. Paris: Armand Collin, 2005 DUBAR, C. A crise das identidades: a interpretação de uma mutação. Tradução de Mary Amazonas Leite de Barros. São Paulo, Editora da Universidade de São Paulo, 2009. GATTI, B. A utilização da Técnica Q como instrumento de medida nas ciências humanas. Cadernos de Pesquisa, São Paulo, nº 6, dez. 1972, p. 46 a 51. MARCELO, C. Desenvolvimento Profissional Docente: passado e futuro. Sísifo. Revista de Ciência da Educação, 08, p. 7-22, jan-abr. 2009b. PLACCO, V. M. N. S. Processos multidimensionais na formação de professores. In: ARAUJO, M. I. O., OLIVEIRA, L. E. (orgs.) Desafios da formação de professores para o século XXI: o que deve ser ensinado? O eu deve ser aprendido? Aracajú: UFS/CESAD, 2008, p. 185-198. PLACCO,V.M.N. de S. e SOUZA, V.L.T. de. Aprendizagem do adulto professor. São Paulo, Edições Loyola, 2006.

Author Information

Selma Alfonsi (presenting / submitting)
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC-SP
sao paulo
Rafael Conde Barbosa (presenting)
Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo
São Paulo
Vera Placco
Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo - PUC-SP, Brazil

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