Concepções de alguns professores formadores sobre a formação didático-pedagógica na Licenciatura em Matemática

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the conceptions of teacher educators regarding the relationship between pedagogical and specific knowledge in a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, seeking to identify similarities with the paradigms of teacher rationality. The research emerged from the author's perception of the limitations of her initial training, confronted with the diversity of approaches present in other teacher training courses. The investigation provokes reflections on the persistence of technical rationality in the initial training processes of mathematics teachers. Using a qualitative approach, through a questionnaire sent to 398 Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics programs at federal and state public higher education institutions, the first contact with the research subjects was made. Thus, semi-structured interviews were conducted with six teacher educators affiliated with five higher education institutions. These teachers were effective, with initial training in Mathematics (licentiate/bachelor's degree). Most had more than ten years of experience in higher education, with the exception of one teacher who, being at the beginning of their career, had only two years of institutional affiliation. These teachers were selected, among other aspects, based on their effective link with the institution where they worked, as well as their relationship with the course, especially regarding the approach to didactic-pedagogical and specific knowledge. The analysis of the reports, conducted using the Content Analysis Technique (Bardin, 2012), revealed five main themes: knowledge base for teaching, which brought together mentions related to knowledge important for teaching practice; conceptions about pedagogical practice in the initial training of mathematics teachers, bringing together reports on formative moments during the undergraduate course and the different meanings they assume for teachers; theoretical foundations and experiences in the training of mathematics teachers, revealing diverse understandings about the role of the teacher and the awareness of the trainers about their responsibility in the training of future teachers; didactic-pedagogical contributions in the training of mathematics teachers, allowing the identification of theoretical frameworks used in initial training, with emphasis on the didactic-pedagogical dimension; and factors that go beyond the scope of the teacher educator's role, a theme that expresses the broad context of teacher training and aspects beyond the direct control of teacher educators, mentioned in the interviews. The theoretical framework engages with authors such as Contreras, Fiorentini, Shulman, Libâneo, among others. The results indicate that, although it is not possible to rigidly classify the conceptions of teacher educators as technical, practical, or critical, the related conceptions demonstrate a distancing from the technical paradigm and an approach with reflective and critical perspectives, although the latter are presented in a diffuse and superficial way. Thus, as the statements of the teacher educators revealed, during the beginning of their teaching careers in Higher Education, a technical rationality predominated in their work. This predominance, in some cases, transformed throughout their professional and academic trajectories, largely approaching a practical rationality. In addition, some teachers also demonstrate a sense of responsibility for the social transformation of individuals, which brings them closer to a critical rationality approach.