Abstract

CARRARO, Patrícia Rossi  and  ANDRADE, Antônio dos Santos. Primary education teachers in reflection groups. Rev. Mal-Estar Subj. [online]. 2011, vol.11, n.4, pp. 1339-1378. ISSN 1518-6148.

Research results confirm that an in group reflection process accomplished by teachers results in an improvement of their professional practice. This study aims to investigate, using a qualitative approach, the conditions, possibilities and limits for the accomplishment of a reflection group based in an educational sociodrama in a learning institution. The Group was composed of 10 public school teachers from an elementary school of an inner city of São Paulo. The proposed methodology consisted of three procedures. In the first one, each component of the Group had his/her training, history and professional practice investigated through interviews. In the second procedure, the work with the group of teachers was accomplished. It consisted of twenty weekly one hour meetings during the Time for Pedagogic Collective Work (TPCW). At these meetings, the themes participants addressed spontaneously were worked out through discussions and reflections. In the third and last procedure, a new interview with each teacher was done to check how the experience in the Group was. Interview and Group results were evaluated by content analysis. Results indicated that group work was a moment of support, experience exchange, release of inner feelings and personal growth for the teachers. In addition, it was a space for them to expose discontentment, conflicts, skepticisms, anguish and anxiety in face of the problems and difficulties they experience in their daily school routine. It was evident that teachers had several relationship and acceptance problems. It was also noted that functional aspects of the educational establishment hampered the development of group work and interpersonal relationship. The importance of group work in the school context as a methodological component of a training project and improvement of teachers is established.

Keywords : Teacher; primary education; reflection groups.

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