Formação continuada online de professores dos anos iniciais: contribuições para a ampliação da base de conhecimento para o ensino de geometria

Abstract

This doctorate thesis identifies and analyzes the contributions of two online distance minicourses to the knowledge base (specific knowledge of geometry, pedagogical knowledge of geometry and pedagogical reasoning processes) of thirteen elementary school teachers who teach geometry from the 1st to the 4th grades. They were participating in a teachers training program called Programa de Apoio aos Educadores: espaço de desenvolvimento profissional, and were members of Portal dos Professores UFSCar (www.portaldosprofessores.ufscar.br), a website which provides teachers with professional support. It is a qualitative intervention research which employs a collaborative and constructive methodology for training teachers. The mini-courses, developed for that purpose, were given totally at distance through the virtual learning environment WebCT. The theoretical basis encompasses teachers training, knowledge base for teaching and distance learning via the Internet as a resource for training teachers. The data, which were collected through digital tools (forum, e-mail, chat room, tasks, message board etc.) and non-digital tools (application forms and questionnaires), were analyzed to show the impact the mini-courses had on the teachers` knowledge base. The results showed their knowledge was significantly enhanced and they could think over the teaching of geometry and their own teaching. The results also showed the strong and weak points of training teachers at distance using the virtual learning environment WebCT and the methodology adopted. To conclude, the study offers suggestions for public policies on distance training for teachers via the Internet and for courses in virtual learning environments similar to WebCT