Abstract:

This investigation is being carried as part of a doctorate program in Education at the Federal University of São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil. The objective is to analyze the contributions made by a continuous on-line training project for teachers of the first grade of primary school, for the teachers’ database. The methodology adopted is based on a constructive/collaborative model of teacher-researcher interaction focusing on the construction of intervention/investigation strategies and the promotion of professional development processes. The training strategies used were carried out by distance learning mode using the Moodle platform of the Teachers Portal of the university (UFSCar) as a tool to access the virtual learning environment. The course provided 120 hours of training and was held between September 2010 and May 2011. It was based on the understanding that professional teacher development takes place throughout the teaching career and continuous teacher training can contribute to this process. The teacher narratives of three experienced teachers constructed during the intervention represent the data for interpretation for this research. They were organized and analyzed according to the Schulman (1986, 1987 & 2005) and Mizukami (2002, 2003 & 2005) theory by investigating the different types of knowledge that constitute the teacher base. This base is connected to learning teaching and being a teacher. The knowledge category named as teacher specific – pedagogical knowledge of the content – is the study baseline whereby the authorship is recognized as being that of the teacher since it is learnt during the exercise of the profession without leaving out other types of knowledge. The construction process occurs when the teacher transforms his/her knowledge of the specific content into teachable content, in other words, into the learning objective. The meanings initially interpreted from the on-line teacher narratives point towards a reflection on how and why to teach the specific school syllabus for the first school year. It must be borne in mind that these are unique for each teacher and are intimately linked to their professional development as there is no single professional development model that is effective for all schools much less for all teachers. Professional development takes different forms in different contexts. However, a solid and flexible knowledge base is essential for the teacher in classroom practice, intervening in different teaching and learning situations as well as for different learners in different contexts. This base is built in innumerous ways throughout the professional’s lifetime. However, it is interlinked to the uniqueness of each teacher.

Keywords:

Teacher learning, Professional Teacher Development, Continuous on-line teacher training.