ABSTRACT:
The results of a study conducted with pedagogues working in basic education in state, municipal, and private schools in the city of Curitiba and the metropolitan region, through a continuous training program, led to the objective of this article, which is to recognize the construction of their professional identity in the life stories of school pedagogues. The study, with a phenomenological hermeneutic approach (Ricoeur, 2013), analyzed the life stories of 16 pedagogues. It was observed that experiences and learnings throughout their journey, in different socialization spaces, from basic education through academic training and, primarily, professional practice, contributed to the professional identity of the school pedagogue (Libâneo, 2010; Nóvoa, 2019). The results indicate that family references, childhood experiences such as school-related play, and interactions with good teachers in basic education were important for choosing Pedagogy. In turn, experiences with colleagues in different professional contexts influenced the development of behaviors, skills, attitudes, and values that define ways of being in the profession. It is evident that learnings in both family and professional contexts influenced career choice and the way they understand and perform their roles today, that is, the elements that constitute professional identity.
Keywords: life history; school pedagogue; professional identity; learning
RESUMO:
Os resultados de uma pesquisa realizada com pedagogos atuantes na educação básica em escolas estaduais, municipais e privadas do município de Curitiba e região metropolitana, por meio de um programa de formação continuada, levaram ao objetivo deste artigo que é reconhecer na história de vida de pedagogos escolares a construção de sua identidade profissional. O estudo, de enfoque fenomenológico hermenêutico (Ricoeur, 2013), analisou as histórias de vida de 16 pedagogos. Observou-se experiências e aprendizagens que, ao longo da trajetória, nos diferentes espaços de socialização, desde a educação básica, passando pela formação acadêmica e, principalmente, atuação profissional, contribuíram para a profissionalidade do pedagogo escolar (Libâneo, 2010; Nóvoa, 2019). Nos resultados, relatos indicam que referências familiares, vivências da infância, como brincadeiras relacionadas à escola, e o convívio com bons professores na educação básica foram importantes para a escolha da Pedagogia. Por sua vez, experiências com os colegas em diferentes contextos de atuação profissional exerceram influência no desenvolvimento de comportamentos, habilidades, atitudes e valores que definem maneiras de ser e estar na profissão. Evidencia-se que as aprendizagens no contexto familiar e profissional influenciaram na escolha da carreira e no modo como compreendem e exercem a função atualmente, ou seja, nos elementos que constituem a identidade profissional.
Palavras-chave: história de vida; pedagogo escolar; identidade profissional; aprendizagem
RESUMEN:
Los resultados de una investigación realizada con pedagogos actuantes en la educación básica en escuelas estaduales, municipales y privadas del municipio de Curitiba y región metropolitana, por medio de un programa de formación continuada, llevaron al objetivo de este artículo que es reconocer en la historia de vida de pedagogos escolares la construcción de su identidad profesional. El estudio, de enfoque fenomenológico hermenéutico (Ricoeur, 2013), analizó las historias de vida de 16 pedagogos. Se observó experiencias y aprendizajes que, a lo largo de la trayectoria, en los diferentes espacios de socialización, desde la educación básica, pasando por la formación académica y, principalmente, actuación profesional, contribuyeron para la profesionalidad del pedagogo escolar (Libâneo, 2010; Nóvoa, 2019). En los resultados, relatos indican que referencias familiares, vivencias de infancia, como juegos relacionados a la escuela, y el convivio con buenos profesores en la educación básica fueron importantes para la elección de la Pedagogía. Sin embargo, experiencias con los colegas en diferentes contextos de actuación profesional ejercieron influencia en el desarrollo de comportamientos, habilidades, actitudes y valores que definen maneras de ser y estar en la profesión. Se evidencia que los aprendizajes en el contexto familiar y profesional influyeron en la elección de carrera y en el modo como comprenden y ejercen la función actualmente, o sea, en los elementos que constituyen la identidad profesional.
Palabras clave: historia de vida; pedagogo escolar; identidad profesional; aprendizaje
INTRODUCTION
This article is based on the research Learning and Knowledge in the Professional Identity of the Pedagogue (Aprendizagem e Conhecimento na Identidade Profissional do Pedagogo), developed by the research group Learning and Knowledge in Teaching Practice at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná - PUCPR (Aprendizagem e Conhecimento na Prática Docente da Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná), which offered a continuing education program to different school pedagogues. Although education guidelines and laws characterize the role of the pedagogue as the professional who connects teachers, students, and families (Paraná, 2010), studies in the area (Bonafé, 2015; Janz, 2015; Machado, 2015; Lins, 2016; Haddad, 2016) indicate that there is no clarity by this professional regarding their role. Thus, they accumulate responsibilities that fall to other areas of knowledge, such as filling the gaps in the absence of teachers, performing social assistance functions, diagnosing pathologies, etc. Given this scenario, the importance of the pedagogue knowing their duties becomes evident, considering the school context in which they work.
From this observation, the following issue arises: how can a pedagogue recognize in his/her life story the construction of his/her professional identity? To contribute to the strengthening of this identity, in a process of awareness and self-regulation of their practice, a continuing education program was offered to a group of professionals from the city of Curitiba and the metropolitan region, state of Paraná. The inclusion criterion in the program was that the participants should work as pedagogues in public or private schools.
The research was structured in three stages. The first, carried out in 2018, refers to the training program, consisting of eight two-hour meetings, over 15 days, held in person at PUCPR. The second, in 2019, was characterized by in-person support for educators in a training project to be developed with teachers from the respective educational institutions where they worked. Finally, the third stage, which took place in 2020 and 2021, consisted of the supervision of educators during the development of the continuing education project at the institution of origin. At this stage, only two participants, from state schools, continued in the project, being monitored online due to the contingent challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the first continuing education meeting, a memorial construction was requested to be delivered at the second meeting, an instrument developed by the research group. When highlighting the importance of this tool, Portilho and Parolin (2017) state that:
The memorial is a document that reports and announces the subject's personal and professional trajectory, the origin of their choices, the events that triggered them, and at what point in their history they perceive and confirm these choices, interspersed with life events and reflections that arose from this path and that resulted in transformations and new demands (Portilho; Parolin, 2017, p. 73).
The purpose of writing the memorial was to create a narrative about the participants' life stories, recalling the learning that contributed to their choice and practice of the profession, enabling them to become aware of the elements that make up their professional identity. This instrument allows them to reframe experiences and produce meanings for their professional practice through reflection on their life stories (Nascimento, 2018).
Therefore, this article aims to recognize the construction of professional identity in the life stories of school educators. By believing that a person is constituted by their professional and personal being (Flickinger, 2010), memorials can help clarify the choices made regarding their pedagogical activities.
This text is organized into sections, which initially present the concept of the professional identity of school educators, the legal basis, and in particular, the characteristics of this professional in the state of Paraná. Next, we find the research methodology, followed by the description and interpretation of the data.
THE PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY OF THE SCHOOL PEDAGOGUE: BETWEEN THE LEGAL AND THE REAL
For this study, some contextual landmarks regarding the professional identity of the school pedagogue today are considered, based on a brief theoretical reference to this profession. According to Libâneo (2010, p. 52), “[...] the pedagogue is a professional who deals with facts, structures, contexts, situations, related to educational practice in its various modalities and manifestations”. This professional is very important within the school, as he is the link between teachers, students, and family members. The organization of his work involves different dimensions, such as the political-pedagogical project, the action plan, teaching planning, assessment of learning, and organization of work during activity time and in-class councils. He is also responsible for informing parents about the student's academic performance and making the necessary referrals to meet the needs of each student. Their performance is essential in the peculiar situations of the teaching process: psychological, social, and cultural implications, as well as in learning problem detection (Libâneo, 2010) and the relationships between students and teachers, etc.
The construction of a pedagogue’s professional identity is not restricted to the scope of academic training, but, according to Nóvoa (1992), it is formed throughout the career, considering interpersonal relationships, cultural, economic, and social issues, in addition to the contexts in which professionals are inserted. The author argues that “[...] identity is not an acquired fact, it is not a property, it is not a product. Identity is a place of struggles and conflicts, it is a space for constructing ways of being in the profession” (Nóvoa, 1992, p. 16). Identity is, therefore, understood based on the subject’s disposition; constructed by culture and discourses that mediate between how he perceives himself; and permeated by the representations he exerts about his role in education and different cultural processes.
Considering the subject of this research, the pedagogue of the state of Paraná is a career professional, working in a public school, admitted through a public selection process. As a minimum requirement, he/she must have a degree in Pedagogy or a Higher Education Course with additional studies (Brasil, 2006). Therefore, he/she is a graduate of Pedagogy courses from public or private higher education institutions.
In his/her identity construction, this professional constantly faces challenges and legal changes that affect the Pedagogy course, which provides initial training. When the National Curricular Guidelines were drawn up - CNE/CP Resolution number 1, of May 15, 2006 -, according to article 4 of the undergraduate course in Pedagogy:
The Bachelor's Degree in Pedagogy is intended to train teachers to perform teaching functions in Early Childhood Education and the initial years of Elementary Education, in High School courses, in the Normal modality, and Professional Education courses in the area of school services and support, as well as in other areas, in which pedagogical knowledge is expected (Brazil, 2006).
Therefore, it was decided that the training of pedagogues should focus on teaching. Thirteen years later, the most recent change in the initial training of teachers for basic education occurred through the CNE/CP Resolution of December 2, 2019, which established the Common National Base for the initial training of teachers for basic education - BNC-Formação. This resolution is linked to Law number 9,394/96 - Law of Guidelines and Bases of National Education - and aims to guarantee the quality of education and the training of professionals in basic education (Brazil, 1996). In the meantime, the scientific community in the educational field was concerned with the training of pedagogues and teachers, favoring a technical and standardized perspective, aiming to meet the objectives of the market, which demanded constant attention and analysis of the collective of these professionals in basic education and higher education schools. With the new regulations, it became the student's choice to do an extension to work in administration, planning, inspection, supervision, and educational guidance, after the initial training offered in the Pedagogy course.
In a position that diverges from what is regulated by Resolution CNE/CP number 02/2019 (Brazil, 2020), Lima and Gomes (2010) argue that courses that offer training to educators should consider pedagogical management, or coordination, as a correct space and time for self-training and professional development, without losing the teaching dimension. In this way, they present the idea of a triple function of the pedagogue: as a teacher, as a researcher and as a manager.
The teaching role is considered fundamental to the work of education professionals, and through it, the knowledge necessary to practice the profession is acquired. In this role, the pedagogue is an intellectual in continuous training in search of mastery of the process and product of his/her work. The activity of the researcher is essential to the training and development of the pedagogue, as it concerns the problematization of teaching practices based on a close look at the educational reality to assume a reflective and critical attitude, going beyond common sense, which is not being properly contemplated by Resolution CNE/CP number 02/2019 (Brasil, 2020). As a manager, the pedagogue needs to consider “[...] the relationships between school and society in a contextualized way [...]”, to allow the participation of the entire school community in democratic environments. Furthermore, “[...] create conditions for the school to fulfill its role, which is to teach” (Lima; Gomes, 2010, p. 182).
Therefore, the school pedagogue is responsible for helping teachers develop their work in the classroom, connecting the school, family and community in general. To this end, they must take care of their training through courses, study groups, and readings that allow them to exchange experiences with their peers, to go beyond the bureaucratic issues of everyday life, which limit their thinking and acting on their identity in the institution.
In this sense, it is necessary to question about the responsibility of the maintainers when offering continuing education to these professionals. In the state of Paraná, continuing education programs such as Formação em Ação, Semana Pedagógica and Programa de Desenvolvimento Educacional - PDE are offered to teachers and pedagogues. The most recent program, called Tutoria Pedagógica, was created in 2019 by the Paraná State Department of Education - SEED/PR to serve the management teams - principal and pedagogical team. The focus of the program is to implement public policies aimed at student learning, attendance, and approval and is developed by technicians from the Regional Centers (Paraná, 2019).
In the research carried out by Carvalho (2022), pedagogues do not consider this tutoring system as continuing education since the focus of this program is directed at controlling school attendance rates and student access to the platforms offered by the maintainer. In this sense, continuing education offered by SEED/PR to teachers and pedagogues should be more closely linked to the school as a space for the exchange, construction, and reconstruction of knowledge.
For Marin (2003), the training of pedagogues must happen continuously through interaction between interpersonal and professional aspects, because, by appropriating their training processes, the life stories of educators take on a new meaning. Therefore, it requires being linked to a learning institution that values the experience of these education professionals and creates conditions for them to participate in decision-making - a principle of a democratic school that considers each one with their differences and possibilities. Thus, Carvalho (2022) and Marin (2003) emphasize the importance of pedagogue training being carried out in the school institution, to provide opportunities for the construction of knowledge and decision-making through sharing among those involved in pedagogical work.
Regarding what is proposed in the legislation and what is substantiated by the authors presented here, the research by Silva (2021) and Carvalho (2022) reveals that pedagogues from Paraná, especially those from public schools, demonstrate clarity regarding the importance of developing their work in the pedagogical dimension. Both studies indicate that these professionals reluctantly mediate conflicts and replace teachers to ensure that school days are completed, failing to perform tasks that are within their competence.
During the continuing education program offered by the research Learning and Knowledge in the Professional Identity of the Pedagogue (Aprendizagem e Conhecimento na Identidade Profissional do Pedagogo), the professionals admitted to a lack of specific continuing education and presented a complaining attitude about the work they perform, perceiving as tied to actions aimed at controlling the use of platforms, actively searching for students and activities developed based on the results of external evaluations, such as the Prova Paraná2. Even with the opportunity they had to participate in the training program with a methodology focused on reflection and pedagogical action, the group was almost unable to move on from the place of complaint, leading to the non-continuation of the training action that provided for two more stages in addition to the training program.
METHODOLOGY
This study, whose method is hermeneutic phenomenology, not only describes and analyzes the voices, speeches, and language of the individual but also interprets what this means communicates toward the transformation of professional practice (Ricoeur, 2013). Metacognition was adopted as the methodology since it favors the development of a critical and sensitive view of one's attitudes, which allows adjustments to procedures, strategies, and instruments to interpret the phenomenon researched in its essence. In other words, this way of proceeding provided an opportunity to understand the meaning of the personal and professional life reports of the research participants (Portilho; Silva; Batista, 2023).
The research of this article developed a continuing education program carried out in eight weekly meetings with educators working in the public and private schools of Curitiba and the metropolitan region in 2018. The meetings took place on the PUCPR campus in the capital. Each meeting was structured to prioritize activities that covered topics relevant to the professional performance of educators, such as continuing education and self-education; professional identity; innovative and integrative communication; the expression of culture in the educational environment; and group-unit in operation, mediation in the learning and teaching process, assessment and registration.
The first part of each meeting was called the “trigger”, in which participants were invited to develop, as a group, a dynamic regarding the topic discussed on that occasion. The second part, called “theoretical foundation”, aimed to present theoretically the foundations of the topic discussed that day. The third part, the “conversation circle”, was characterized as a space for group re-elaboration on the topic of the meeting, fueled by a reflective question, called the “initial prompt”. In the final part, participants were invited to answer a metacognitive questionnaire composed of 15 reflective questions. Each meeting lasted two hours and took place once a week, every two weeks.
Sixteen educators participated in the program, 15 female and 1 male. Their identities were protected by the letter P followed by a number. Regarding their professional background, 12 of them worked in public education, 1 in private education, and 3 in both public and private education. Their professional experience ranged from 5 to 25 years, all of them with a lato sensu specialization course, three with a master's degree, and one with a doctorate in education. Regarding the segment in which they worked, two educators worked only in early childhood education; one only in middle school; two in early childhood education and elementary school; six in middle and high school; four only in high school; and one person worked in a teacher training program.
The research instrument used for this article was the memorial, applied as a task in the first training meeting. The memorial consists of a report written by the pedagogue about his/her personal and professional trajectory (Portilho; Parolin, 2017; Nascimento, 2018). For its construction, the following instruction was presented: “You will write a narrative, telling your professional history, in such a way that it highlights the most important moments of the learning you experienced (with family, friends, at school - from early childhood education to your graduation and first professional actions) that have contributed to the formation of the professional you are today”.
For the description and interpretation of the data collected from the memorial, two categories of analysis were created, the first called Professionalism and the second Learning, together with their respective subcategories, as seen in Box 1.
Category 1, Professionalism, encompasses the process developed by educators throughout their careers, in different spaces of socialization, from basic education, through professional training and, mainly, professional performance, where teachers practice and learn the profession (Gorzoni; Davis, 2017). The subcategory Reason for choosing a career refers to the main factors that influenced the choice of the Pedagogy course. Examples: “From early childhood education to teaching training, I grew up in a single school. I always felt at home, welcomed by the teachers. I always admired their skills” (P1); “I lived with my aunt who was the principal of a school. Under her influence, I decided that I wanted to be a teacher” (P6).
The Professional trajectory subcategory describes the different professional experiences that pedagogues have had over the years in pedagogy field. Examples: “I have a 20-year teaching career. During this period, I worked in early childhood education, youth and adult education, elementary education, and as a pedagogue” (P7); “In 1999, I started working as an instructor of professional courses at the Curitiba City Hall’s Trades Line, where I worked for four years. In 2003, I started working at Senac, also as an instructor of technical and professional courses until 2010. These were good experiences!” (P5).
Category 2, Learning, concerns the main learning acquired by educators throughout their personal and professional careers. The subcategory Family context corresponds to the main learning acquired through interactions in the environment in which the research participant grew up and developed. Examples: “One thing I will never forget is that it was with my father that I learned to write my name with charcoal on the ground” (P7); “I grew up surrounded by lots of children. I think this was my first great learning environment” (P1).
Finally, the Professional Context subcategory represents the main learning acquired during the undergraduate period and/or arising from different contexts of the pedagogue's professional activity. Examples: “The experience of studying Pedagogy at the Federal University of Paraná embodied my professional identity of politics and social engagement. I am sure that much of what I assume as my profile today was a reflection and mirroring of the professionals I met there” (P1); “With each new situation and conversations with my peers, I learned ways to help fellow teachers, guide students and mediate conflicts” (P12).
The research was guided by ethical considerations - guaranteed by the approval of the Human Research Ethics Committee of PUCPR (CAAE number 87390517.8.0000.0020), under opinion number 2,632,541, with the report date of May 3, 2018 - such as respect for the freedom and privacy of the participants, as well as the confidential nature of the data.
DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
The findings presented below refer to the conception that the participants present regarding the categories Professionalism and Learning, resulting from personal and professional reports. In the Professionalism category, it was possible to identify moments in life history that influenced the choice of the Pedagogy course and places of work that influenced the professional practice of the research participants. In Learning, the learnings originating from the family context in which the pedagogue grew up are recognized, as well as those arising from different environments in which he/she worked professionally.
Category 1 - The Professionalism of the Pedagogue
Professionalism refers to the knowledge, behaviors, skills, attitudes, and values that define a pedagogue. The construction of a professional identity influences, and is influenced by experiences acquired in the family context and professional performance (Nóvoa, 2019). Among the elements that influence the professionalism of a pedagogue is the reason for choosing the Pedagogy course. Specifically, the research highlighted the role of the family context in choosing this career, as can be seen in the statements of participants P7 and P9.
P7 - My professional history is simply translated into great people who I had as references and great examples within my family.
P9 - It was in my childhood, surrounded by dolls and teddy bears that I began to treat them as students, reading children's storybooks and making mini notebooks for them, that I identified with the profession.
Thus, it is possible to verify in the speeches of teachers P7 and P9 positive references from the family context that influenced their choice of the Pedagogy course, whether about references to personal attitudes or even in the construction of environments that allowed the creation of positive bonds with this profession. This follows the studies of Almeida and Pinho (2008), who highlight that, since childhood, each person carries with them a series of expectations from the family, which they must - or must not - fulfill throughout their lives.
In addition to family influence, another aspect highlighted that motivated the choice of Pedagogy was the presence of teachers who were part of the participants' life stories:
P12 - I fondly remember some of my teachers, such as Professor Ana Maria, a Portuguese teacher who read and told stories to the class, all of her 1.50m tall. She would sit on the teacher's desk, cross her legs, and read clearly and lovingly, and we traveled through the world of reading.
P5 - I did my last year of elementary school at Colégio Dom Bosco. During that year, I lived with my aunt who was the school principal. Under her influence, I decided that I wanted to study teaching.
Positive experiences with school allowed the construction of favorable bonds with teaching, which awakened motivation and the desire to pursue this profession. Such identification increases the possibilities for professionals to be more persistent, creative, and resilient in the face of adversities that tend to arise, seeking solutions when faced with a problem. Negative experiences when teaching tend to arouse fear, anger, insecurity, and sadness, making the pedagogue feeling incapable of achieving certain goals. However, such emotions can promote changes in the way of acting and thinking, awakening the desire to overcome obstacles to professionally exercise practices different from those experienced as a student (Mlodnow, 2022), as is the case of pedagogue P1, who states that:
P1 - Most teachers complained a lot that the profession was bad, that they had a lot of work on weekends, and that the salary was very low.
The understanding that she could achieve personal and financial satisfaction, unlike what she was presented with when she was a basic education student, was important for pedagogue P1 to choose the Pedagogy course, identified in this profession the possibility of transforming her reality and those around her. In other words, the desire to change her personal life and to develop more welcoming and motivating practices with teachers, students, and family members, without fear of failure in the face of challenging situations, led her to choose the profession of school pedagogue.
Another aspect highlighted about professionalism during the construction of the memorial was the professional trajectory, understood as the set of experiences lived by pedagogues from the moment they entered the teaching career.
P4 - I worked as a teacher at Colégio Nossa Senhora de Sion for three years, from the beginning of 1987 to the end of 1989. It was a wonderful experience! At that time, I realized that I preferred working as a pedagogue.
P5 - In my first year of teaching, I started doing a paid internship at a small neighborhood school [...] I was only 15 years old and had a class of 11 children from 1 and a half to 2 years old! I was the teacher!
Throughout their teaching career, educators have the opportunity to build knowledge, values, and attitudes that constitute their professional identity and influence the way they understand and exercise pedagogical practice. The construction of such knowledge, attitudes, and values, based on the culture of the professional environment in which they are inserted, occurs in an articulated manner with the personal knowledge and representations that they have of their performance. This relationship between the cultural values of the institution and the individual values enables the creation and recreation of professional performance (Valsiner, 2012; Bernardo; Vasconcellos, 2021).
Throughout their life and professional trajectory, educators have the opportunity to participate in a set of experiences that provide the construction of levels of understanding of the profession in a diverse way. In other words, the professional history of each educator is related to the history of the institutions in which they worked, especially those that influenced the choice or the distancing from certain practices.
P8 - I worked in various sectors of the school: janitorial, school lunch, reception, telephone operator, secretary, pedagogical coordinator, management and coordination of the school network.
P11 - I was a pedagogue in a company, a teacher, a pedagogue in a school, and then in the prison system, coordinating the Teacher Training Course. I applied for a job at the Big supermarket, part of the Sonae group, and began an internship that lasted two years as a pedagogue.
The set of experiences lived in different professional environments opens paths to a broader understanding of the work of the school pedagogue, which includes not only experiences with the physical space and the work demand, but also with the types of relationships established with people in these different places. In the different work contexts, each professional has the opportunity to share objects, values , and customs that influence the understanding of the work of the school pedagogue. This is in line with the studies of Valsiner (2012), when the author states that the trajectory of people, in the past, within a field, and the experiences in the present are the basis for the development of future actions.
Unlike pedagogues P8 and P11, who had different professional experiences in the school pedagogical field, P13 highlights the importance of experience over the years in the same institution, which allowed the construction of a positive bond with the profession.
P13 - I finished high school. My sisters, who were teachers in a small town at the time, encouraged me to pursue a teaching career, and so I went. In my third year, they found a school for me to start teaching in the city. At first, I didn’t like it at all, but as the years went by, I realized that I was born to be a teacher.
Contact with more experienced pedagogues and teachers, as well as facing challenges arising from pedagogical practice, such as the profile of the educational community in which one works, the physical conditions of the school, pedagogical monitoring with students and teachers, among others, provide the opportunity to build knowledge that broadens or even resignifies one's understanding of the profession. Professionalism occurs in this process (Bernardo; Vasconcellos, 2021).
Throughout their family and professional trajectory, participants learned things that contributed to the choice and practice of Pedagogy as a possibility of overcoming social reality and/or improving professional performance, as seen in the following category.
Category 2 - Pedagogue’s Learning
In this article, learning is understood as a process of interaction between the pedagogue and the situations experienced in the family and professional context that, in some way, were significant and contributed to their growth and a “becoming” in constant movement, from their perspective. For Portilho et al. (2018, p.12), learning is “[...] a process of interaction between the one who learns and the object to be learned, in a movement of meaning and attribution of its meaning, which transforms it”.
As indicative elements of the pedagogue's learning, the experiences lived in the family context that contributed to giving value to the profession were highlighted, as can be seen in the excerpts from the memorials:
P1 - Even though I didn’t have any help with my homework, because my grandmother was illiterate, she always valued the importance of school in my life. This was a very important learning experience for me. I remember her telling me and my two brothers many stories.
P7 - I had the privilege of having two aunts as teachers who, in addition to teaching me to read and write, also taught me the path of goodness, the values of humanity, and the respect that my classmates and I should have for those who teach children and young people every day, knowledge for life, and teachers.
Learning in the family context contributed to the construction of the life history of the educators since through these references, the understanding of values and the importance of school and professions were formed. This learning occurred through interpersonal relationships that are similar to the concepts of “[...] affection, acceptance, complicity, solidarity, personal needs and satisfactions, motives, with an emphasis on people” (Placco, 2004, p. 9).
Other excerpts from the memorials revealed that learning occurred through experiences in the professional context, which manifested in the form of social commitment, as seen in P4, P9 and P10:
P4 - When I was in my third year of high school, a math teacher failed 70% of his students, including me. [...] The Paraná State Department of Education created a new test to assess the student's learning level. I took the test and passed, along with the vast majority of the students. This fact makes me constantly rethink my professional attitudes and those of the teachers I work with.
P9 - During my teaching career, I met professionals who taught me the syllabus, which is necessary for my profession, and who made me realize that teaching went beyond paper and chalk and that it was necessary to understand the individual behind the student.
P10 - Every day of studying, researching, and interacting with colleagues made me the professional that I am. For this reason, I continue my search, because the current generation increasingly demands that schools be up-to-date and innovative. I feel obliged to contribute to the future in the best way I can.
This learning occurs through professional relationships that, in the educational context, are related to the interactions and learning through the work of professionals, and involve thoughts, studies, intellectual challenges, and proposals for solving problems and conflicts (Placco, 2004). After all, people change themselves and others through relationships, and the quality of this interaction is essential for full human development. Academic training stands out in this process because it allows the pedagogue to articulate knowledge based on the union between theory and practice, which helps to understand the characteristics and possibilities of professional practice.
It is possible to recognize, in the excerpts of the memorials of P4, P9, and P10, the recognition of learning acquired with more experienced colleagues, which, throughout the process, contributed to the construction of the professional identity of the school pedagogue. This fact follows the studies of Nóvoa (2019, p. 9) when he states that “[...] it is in the transition from university to schools, and in the way in which the most experienced teachers welcome the younger ones, that a large part of each one's professional future is played out”.
Learning in the professional context also occurred through observation of the educational environment and the model of other professionals, generated unintentionally, providing expectations and ways of doing the profession, as identified in the written excerpts of P11 and P14:
P11 - In this scenario of violence, pain, exclusion, and social invisibility, I learned that school is a possibility for many, some authors call it an ‘oasis’.
P14 - I remember that my teachers, especially Professor Norma, constantly took us to museums and exhibitions. Today, as a professional, I encourage my students to visit the city’s various cultural spaces and assets as learning experiences. [...] I believe that these marks, even if unconsciously at the time, are now constitutive of my identity as a social pedagogue and educator in the training of educators in themes that mark my teaching, research, and practices: the relationship between learning and poverty, curricular social justice, educability [social conditions for learning], among others.
These excerpts exemplify that what is experienced at school “[...] only occurs through the mediation of the affective to the cognitive, anchored in the ethical-political [...]” (Placco, 2009, p. 52), as they denote that there was communication and integration between the personal aspect of the pedagogue in the relationship with a family member, or professional with the educational community so that there would be another way of carrying out his/her profession. From the experiences, other ways of thinking and acting emerged in a reworked way.
The learning experiences mentioned here reflect the personal and professional trajectories of the educators in their interaction with the institution where they worked, with other teachers and family members, in the way they are, act, feel, and conceive school life, as an “oasis”, as mentioned by P11, and according to the historical moment in which they live or lived. These learning experiences took shape through memories and cultural heritages and acted in the construction of concepts such as identity, teacher training, social justice, and educability, as mentioned by P14. The excerpts from the educators’ memoirs indicate that the learning experiences during their training processes were experienced in spaces of interaction between the interpersonal and professional dimensions, giving meaning to their life stories.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
The decision to discuss how educators can recognize in their life stories the construction of their professional identity, through the production of memorials during a continuing education program, was made to contribute to the strengthening of their identity in a process of awareness and self-regulation of their practice.
As we saw, educators highlighted the importance of learning arising from interpersonal relationships, experienced both in the family and in the profession, as an aspect that influences the construction of their identities. This reveals that these two dimensions have repercussions, as part of the identity process, on the experiences, choices, needs, and interests of these professionals continually changing throughout their life stories.
The memorials indicated family influence in the choice of profession, which may have impacted professionalism, indicating that identity is constructed throughout the professional's trajectory. The influence of peers in the profession and interaction with teachers throughout the career appeared significantly in personal and professional life.
Considering the reports of 16 pedagogues, three professionals did not give clear and objective answers regarding the task of writing the report, in which they should write about the most important moments in their life history that contributed to their professional development. In this sense, it can be inferred that these professionals had difficulty carrying out what was requested. The research instrument was not given due importance, and they only sought to complete the task, revealing difficulties in identifying important learning in their history.
These results highlight the need to think about academic training spaces for the construction of knowledge from a reflective, democratic perspective and promote autonomy over one's pedagogical work. In other words, they can encourage the view of oneself as an element of the transformation of the other (Flickinger, 2010).
It is understood that positive interactions experienced in family and professional contexts can be renewed and maintained through accumulated experience and work put into practice. In this journey, the importance of academic training and interactions, transferred to the professional context, for the construction of the pedagogue's identity was perceived. Due to the relevance of this theme, it is understood that it is possible to develop new research, in other contexts, to deepen the reflection on this construction.
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1
Article published with funding from theConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico- CNPq/Brazil for editing, layout and XML conversion services. The translation of this article into English was funded by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES/Brasil.
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2
The Prov Paraná is developed in three editions during the school year and focuses on working with descriptors from the SAEB test held every two years.
Publication Dates
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Publication in this collection
22 Nov 2024 -
Date of issue
2024
History
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Received
08 Mar 2023 -
Preprint posted on
30 Dec 2022
10.1590/SciELOPreprints.5292 -
Accepted
31 Jan 2024