Funções, papéis e desenvolvimento profissional do professor cooperante no contexto da formação inicial em ensino da Educação Física.

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation is to understand how the role of cooperating teachers is configured and in what way the initial training exercise contributes to their professional development. The two first studies, of conceptual nature, have the following purposes: 1) to consider the role of the cooperating teacher and the evolution of the supervision process in Portugal; and 2) to understand how the roles and functions of cooperating teachers have been studied, and the implications that the performance of such role provides. Considering the conceptual deepening that was fulfilled, the three empirical studies aimed to examine: 3) to sketch out the roles of the cooperating teacher and the importance awarded to them in the normative documents; 4) to examine how the cooperating teachers perceive and assume their function; and 5) to depict which experiences are considered more significant by cooperating teachers for their professional development. Data for the empirical studies were taken from Physical Education teacher education programs of four mainland public Portuguese Universities. Data included the professional school placement normative documents from each institution, and the interviews of twenty-six cooperating teachers who participated in those programs. The qualitative analysis of the normative documents was performed by means of content thematic analysis, while the examination of semi-structured interviews of cooperating teachers adopted grounded theory method procedures and the construction of situational maps. The results showed that school placement normative documents clearly configure the role of the cooperating teacher, wherein practical orientation was most prevalent. However, the relational dynamics that was established with the faculty supervisor determines the way the role is exercised by the cooperating teachers. The centrality of the action of cooperating teachers and the need to involve schools in the professional development of pre-service teachers were also patent in the study. Continuous learning, as a result of the exercise of the cooperating teacher role, takes place at both professional and personal levels, and contributes to professional development. KEYWORDS: COOPERATING TEACHER; TEACHER TRAINING; SUPERVISION; PHYSICAL EDUCATION; PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT