Relations and Learning in School Space and Time: new meanings in the context of the Full-time Education Program of the State of São Paulo (PEI)

Author(s):

Rafael Conde Barbosa(presenting / submitting)Vera Placco

Conference:

ECER 2017

Network:

32. Organizational Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

32 SES 09 B, Educational Reform Policy and Organizational Change

Paper Session

Time:

2017-08-24

13:30-15:00

Room:

K6.07

Chair:

Susanne Maria Weber

Contribution

In 2012, the Full-time Education Program (PEI) was implemented by the State Government of the State of São Paulo-Brazil for the high school level. This initiative focused primarily on the improvement of the education offered at the final stage of the basic education system, which was in great need of public actions to promote the development of those involved in it. In 2014 the PEI was expanded to include the final years of Elementary Education and in 2015 went on to also cover the early years of Elementary School. The Government has the goal of reaching 1000 schools with this program throughout the entire State of São Paulo, until 2018. According to the State Department of Education website, the PEI program should be functioning in 297 public schools by December 2016. In this program, the full-time education schedule will mean students spend between 8 and 9 hours daily in school. The PEI program has the goal of developing students to become young protagonists who are independent, caring and competent. The schools that decide to participate in this program are required to have the voluntary compliance of the entire school community, in this context meaning all teachers, educational coordinator, vice-principal and principal. After adhering, a project should be developed so that the school and professionals who wish to participate in the PEI program can enroll in the selection process. Everyone goes through this process, because none of the professionals who work in the PEI program are permanent hires of the school they work at. The prerequisites are: teacher with permanent contract in the State of São Paulo for three years or more, with no history of absences, have a willingness to learn with students and colleagues. A transformation will be promoted for the development of school activities, which will be both material - installation of computers with internet access, purchase of equipment for the assembly of science and math labs, cleaning, organization of spaces and offering of meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks) and salary increase; as well as immaterial: extended time for study, provision of facilities for the training of professionals who work in the school, appreciation and recognition. Since one of the PEI program's principles is full-time dedication, elective courses are offered, developed by teachers of the same knowledge area or not, Youth Clubs with the development of projects developed by students (in the clubs, young people are gather without any relation to their year in school) with the support of the Principal, who will assist them, when intervention is necessary; the teachers and management staff act as guardians of the students in preparing their Lifetime projects. This research had the purpose of discovering what the players involved in schools (students, teachers, coordinators, managers and other staff) think of the Full-time Education Program (PEI) of which they are a part of; what are the personal learnings and relationships established at school and how they are translated and developed by these players, in relation to the spaces and times in schools. All based on the hypothesis that the relationships fostered by the PEI program could become, or are in the process of becoming, learnings that put teachers, students and managers as protagonists of their actions and their life projects.

Method

In order to develop the survey, a qualitative methodological approach was chosen, using the following tools for the collection of data: interviews, observation and document analysis. Two schools were chosen in which the program was being developed with success: one, a high school in the East side of the city in the Freguesia do Ó neighborhood, called "Escola São Francisco de Assis" and the other, a middle school in the West side of the city, in the Vila Jaguara neighborhood, called "Escola São Pedro". Aside from the fact that both schools are participating in the PEI program, they also have in common the fact that they are situated on the outskirts of São Paulo. All players, as well as the location of the survey, had their names changed to preserve their identities. The collection period lasted two years, between 2014 and 2015. In the first year, 2014, the school visits were carried out to observe their routines and to establish contact with the participants. As Lüdke and André (1986) state, observation implies in building a bond of trust and involvement among participants and the researcher. The respondents were observed at different times and in various situations. 15 students participated in the interviews, nine teachers, two principals, two vice-principals, two general coordinators, three area coordinator teachers and a coordinator who, at the time of this survey, served as a teacher trainer in the State of São Paulo Education department. The data obtained in the interviews allowed the researcher to understand the speeches and actions presented in the various situations observed. Parallel to the observations, documents were analyzed that established the guidelines of the PEI. The data collected allowed for the creation of two categories and five subcategories. Category 1- Material and Immaterial Conditions for the Implementation of the Program; Subcategories: 1.1- Structuring the permanence of the PEI participant; 1.2- Features of the participants (optimized/charged/expected by the PEI program): conditions that determine the profile of participants who join and participates in the program; Category 2- Learn and relearn how to interact at different levels and how to work in the school, subcategories: 2.1- Transition from regular school to the PEI program: personal learnings; 2.2- meaning and new meanings of the relations established within the school; and 2.3- problems and challenges overcome in relation to adaptation of the PEI program.

Expected Outcomes

For the participants included in this survey the PEI is a program that, on account of its material and immaterial conditions, emerges as a space in which they can develop professionally, in the case of teachers and management team, and in which the students perceive themselves as participants and builders of their learning. The principal has a structuring role in this program, because the dialogue promoted by and with him between the participants makes it possible for everyone to know what their role is within that structure. The students have a positive perception of the activities in the Study Clubs and in Elective Courses, because they value and recognize the respect received from other school professionals. The students then, value the opportunity to build with their peers the knowledge during their times of study, in which students from different grades can interact. All participants admit that relations optimized by the PEI program contribute to giving new meaning to the times and spaces of the school. This movement will meet the proposed goals of the program, which is to ensure that exchanges that generate learning will occur beyond what is prescribed in the basic curriculum of the Basic Education system. In keeping with the proposal presented in the Incheon Declaration (2015), it is important to point out that even though the material and immaterial conditions favor the development of the participants, one can observe that the key is that teachers should be open to change and willing to learn and develop professionally. In closing, this question remains: how can this program can assist professionals working in situations as different as the European one, for example, to achieve the promotion of a free, quality education that can be offered to all?

References

LÜDKE, M.; ANDRÉ; M. E. D. A. Pesquisa em educação: abordagens qualitativas. São Paulo: EPU, 1986. SÃO PAULO. Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo. Lei Complementar no 1.164, de 04 de janeiro de 2012. Institui o Regime de dedicação plena e integral – RDPI e a Gratificação de dedicação plena e integral – GDPI aos integrantes do quadro do Magistério em exercício nas escolas estaduais de ensino médio de período integral, e dá providências correlatas. Disponível em: http://www.al.sp.gov.br/repositorio/legislacao/lei.complementar/2012/lei.complementar- 1164-04.01.2012.html. Último acesso em: 16 jan. 2016. (2012a) SÃO PAULO. Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo. Resolução SE no 12, de 31 de janeiro de 2012. Institui o Projeto Escola Estadual de Ensino Médio de Período Integral e estabelece diretrizes para a organização e o funcionamento das Escolas Estaduais de Ensino Médio de Período Integral de que trata a Lei Complementar no 1.164, de 04 de janeiro de 2012, e dá providências correlatas. Disponível em: http://www.mpsp.mp.br/portal/page/portal/Educacao/Legislacao/Estadual/Res%20SE%2012 %20-%20ProjetoEscolaEnsimoM%C3%A9dioIntegral.pdf. Último acesso em: 16 jan. 2016. (2012b) SÃO PAULO. Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo. Lei Complementar no 1.191, de 28 de dezembro de 2012. Dispõe sobre o Programa Ensino Integral em escolas públicas estaduais e altera a Lei Complementar no 1.164, de 2012, que instituiu o Regime de dedicação plena e integral – RDPI e a Gratificação de dedicação plena e integral – GDPI aos integrantes do Quadro do Magistério em exercício nas escolas estaduais de ensino médio de período integral, e dá providências correlatas. Disponível em: http://www.al.sp.gov.br/norma/?id=169046. Último acesso em: 16 jan. 2016. (2012c) SÃO PAULO. Secretaria da Educação do Estado de São Paulo. Disponível em :. Acessado em: 20 de dezembro de 2016.

Author Information

Rafael Conde Barbosa (presenting / submitting)

Faculdade do Educador - FEDUC

Education

São Paulo

Vera Placco

Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, PUCSP