O trabalho com projetos e o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores de educação infantil

Abstract

This thesis investigates the possibilities of working with projects in order to provide training strategy and contribute to the continuous professional development for teachers of Early Childhood Education. It soughts to identify how the project work can contribute for making the teachers become more sensitive in their educational practice as to better serve children, stimulate their learning more effectively and allow them greater autonomy, but also for making them become more sensitive to their own needs, develop their autonomy and expand their knowledge. The purpose of this study was also to investigate what factors influence to the completion of project work to contribute to the professional development of kindergarten teachers. The analysis of professional development and teacher training are based on studies of Oliveira-Formosinho (1998, 2001, 2003, 2009), Dewey (1976, 1978), Nóvoa (1995), Imbernon (2009) and Gomes (2009) and of working with projects is based on Dewey (1978), Kilpatrick (2005), Barbosa & Horn (2008), Hernandèz (1998) and Oliveira-Formosinho (2002, 2007).This is a qualitative research, like action research, also called intervention (ANDRE 1995), with teachers from public schools in Fortaleza. Through intervention, these teachers experienced a project and later developed their own projects with their pupils. Data collection was done through techniques such as interviews and observations and instruments such as the Adult Engagement Scale and questionnaires. Data were recorded in the diary, video footage and pictures. Our findings indicate that training opportunities are more likely to happen when the project work is a formative process. The teachers, at different levels of involvement, developed, regarding the children, attitudes concerning the sensitivity of commitment, strove to “pay attention to” and listen to the children, to stimulate their learning by the proposition of challenging activities and their independence, in the opportunities for experimentation offered. They also developed, to themselves, attitudes related to the sensitivity of commitment, by paying attention to their needs and desires to learn about projects; as well as attitudes related to stimulation, by intending to engage in readings, in search of information and ideas for activities; and to autonomy, on the occasions of choosing and deciding how to accomplish these activities. These teachers revised positions about the learning expectations of younger children and public schools in order to develop projects and rethought the family participation in projects. The teachers were surprised at the protagonist attitude required in the planning and implementation of actions for the project. Factors related to the workplace and organizational conditions, such as training in the institution, the participation of the coordinator in group training; guidance of a trainer and availability of material resources contributed to the development efforts of the teachers. It was evident that the little time for training, the breach of agreements with respect to time and space allocated to training and the gap between management and the teachers have discouraged such efforts.