Professional Development of Elementary School Teachers: Constructing and Analyzing Professional Learning through Public School and University Partnership

This paper examines collaborative research by a Brazilian public university and public elementary school, highlighting a thematic program of applied research and teaching that addressed improvement in teaching and learning quality through inservice teacher education. The project was designed to build a knowledge base of teacher learning and professional development processes and to define when, where, and how participants would intervene in these processes to refine the knowledge. Researchers examined how the constructive-collaborative intervention, which drew upon reflection of teachers' practice could help improve pedagogical actions in order to overcome school, teacher, and student failure. Data from descriptive and analytical studies, follow-up studies, ethnographic studies, case studies, observation, diary entries, interviews, and document analysis indicated it was impossible to divide practice and conceptions into reflective and nonreflective groupings. Different levels and types of reflection were evident. Teachers' degree of intensity in participation increased when discussion related to the daily practice, problems, and challenges they faced in the classroom. Teachers considered their practice their only realm of competence. Personal theories developed by teachers matched most formal theoretical knowledge. Teaching and learning experiences were important strategies in professional learning. Teachers' learning processes were more practical than theoretical oriented. (Contains 43 references.) (SM)