Aprendizagem da docência: o que revelam as trajetórias das professoras de educação infantil da rede municipal de Ribeirão Preto

Abstract

The goal of this research is to investigate how the learning of teaching of teachers who work in the Childhood Education of municipal network of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil, occurs. This investigative process sought: To know and analyze the life, education and professional trajectory of teachers who work in the Childhood Education; Identify and analyze the conceptions of continuing education that the teachers have and the formative demands manifested by the teachers. As a theoretical contribution, it is based on the concept of professional development, which includes teaching as a continuous process, which extends from student experiences to initial and continuing education. It is also understood that the childhood education has specificities that need to be recognized and considered in the formative proposals for teaching. This is a qualitative research from a biographical perspective of life histories. This research was carried out in a municipal school of childhood education in the city of Ribeirão Preto, Brazil. In this scenario, a questionnaire was applied with open questions to the teachers of the unit and subsequently three teachers were interviewed. The data collected allowed the construction of three axes of analysis: Student’s experiences and teaching career choice; Professional education and beginning of teaching; Conceptions and formative demands manifested by the teachers. After analyzing the data, it was verified that the learning of teaching in the Childhood Education of the participating teachers corroborates with the literature of the area of teacher education. It was observed that they learned how to be a teacher through personal and professional experiences lived as students, as mothers; mirroring or not their teachers; in initial education courses; observing and exchanging experiences with other teachers, with children; in lectures and distance learning courses, in workshops, in many other experiences. However, the conceptions of formation and the formative demands manifested by the teachers are in historical mismatch with the academic production. We identify that some formative demands manifested by the teachers are: courses that combine theory and practice; partnerships with other professionals; specific themes of childhood education, like caring for and playing; formation geared to the needs of each school; pauses, "breaths"; congresses and pedagogical fairs; dissemination of successful practices; group discussion of difficulties; autonomy to choose what to study; pedagogical education for other professionals working in the school; exchanges of experience between peers. May this text inspire other childhood educators to continue their studies, which will be essential in times of setbacks.