Aproximações e distanciamentos na formação inicial e na prática docente de professores que ensinam ciências nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This research analyzes the relationship between the initial training and the teaching practice of educators who teach science in the early years of elementary school. Choosing a qualitative approach, this survey brings the contribution of six teachers from a municipal school in the state of Pernambuco. In this work, we tried to identify what are the possible relations (closeness and remoteness) between the initial training of teachers who teach science in the elementary school and their teaching practices. In order to collect data, the following was done: an analysis of the documents (pedagogical project of each course, subjects programme, teaching plans) used in the degree courses of pedagogy in two universities,; semi-structured interviews, with open questions, using the technique of the dialectic hermeneutic circle (CHD) and the observation of the teachers’` practices in sciences classes. The questionnaire was used just to identify the teachers’ professional and academic profile, and to help the description of the school and class in which they had been teaching. For data analysis, Dialectical-Interactive Hermeneutic Analysis (AHDI) was applied and three theoretical categories were listed: initial training, science teaching and, teaching practices. As a result, regarding the first category, it was obtained: inadequate interaction between theory and practice; insufficiency of science subjects that aim at the study of teaching contents and methodologies. As for the second category, it was possible to identify in the teachers’ speeches and procedures some conceptions about science teaching as: need of contextualization in science teaching, the value of the mediation among teacher-student-knowledge, precision of articulation between theoretical and practical knowledge and concepts of citizenship. Regarding the third category, it was noticed that the teachers seemed to have several approaches to the teaching practice, which were: wide vision about teaching practice, the need of effective experience in the classroom, a relationship with the teaching methodology. They also recognize the necessity of keep studying and updating often their specifics knowledge as well as their teaching methodologies. This paper advocates that the initial defined training set up sustains the teaching practice, even if in their continued training path are added new elements and new meanings. Lastly, it was understood that this survey contributed offering a critical reflection on the initial training of the teachers involved in this survey, as well as in their own teachingers’ practices in the science matter. The intention of this thesis was to make possible a new view on the role played by the universities in the initial training of teachers of the earlier years of elementary school as well as to provoke new perspectives of research horizons in the initial training and teaching practices.