O Estudo de Aula na Formação Inicial

Desenvolvimento de Processos Colaborativos

Abstract

Lesson study has been used in in-service teachers' training worldwide. However, its use in initial teachers' training is still poorly studied. In Portugal, some investigations have taken place about the implementation of lesson studies in initial teachers' training, and it is in this context that our work fits. The studies have demonstrated the potential of the process in developing pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of future teachers, promoting collaborative processes, and moving future teachers' sole focus away from teacher actions toward student learning. Studies also evidence learning for participating mentors.

Content Representation Knowledge (CoRe), which was initially used to explore the PCK of experienced teachers, has been used in the context of initial teacher education to promote the development of the PCK. CoRe allows for greater integration of theory and practice, accessing more tacit aspects of mentor teachers and thus displaying pedagogical and didactic knowledge that is often not made explicit.

Using narrative analysis, we investigated the effect of the use of CoRe in a lesson study focused on the cardiovascular system developed within the scope of the supervised teaching practice in the sixth grade of a school in Lisbon, focusing our analysis on the involvement of the mentor teacher. We present evidence that shows a genuinely collaborative process involving all participants. The mentor teacher shows gains in the understanding of the training process in relation to her usual practice.