The “Universitisation” of Geography Teacher Training in Portugal: Reflecting on its Results and Weaknesses

Abstract

In Portugal, geography teacher training followed a process of ‘universitisation’ that enhanced its academic dimension and weakened the importance of professional training. Training became focused on outcomes, more than on processes, and its effects were increasingly disappointing as regards changing teachers’ practices. Although such problems are not confined to geography teacher training, in the case of geography they seem to be particularly pertinent, since they contribute to widen the gap between academic and school geography. The paper intends to address two questions: (1) how did the ‘universitisation’ of teacher training affect teachers’ involvement as regards the overall training process?; (2) how to explain the marginal results obtained by training as regards changing teachers’ practices? From the data collected for this research through the content analysis of primary documents, databases and the results presented by various field researches, it seems possible to identify the main weaknesses that affect geography teacher training: (a) training programmes fail to narrow the gap between theory and practice; and (b) training processes are unable to identify and take into account the experiences and the personal beliefs that shaped student teachers’ knowledge before they enter training. These justify the design of a new reflective methodology.

Keywords

• Teacher education,teachers’ beliefs,teachers’ practices,geography education

References

1. Alexandre, F. (1995). Ciência académica e saber do professor: representações de ciência e do seu ensino na educação geográfica. Monte da Caparica: Universidade Nova de Lisboa.
2. Alexandre, F. (2009). Epistemological awareness and geographical education in Portugal: the practice of newly qualified teachers. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 18(4), 253-259.
3. Alexandre, F. (2013). Formação reflexiva de professores e cidadania: contributo para o estudo das práticas de formação inicial de professores de geografia. Lisbon: Universidade Aberta.
4. Altet, M. (2008). Raport à la formation, à la pratique, aux savoirs et reconfiguration des savoirs professionnels par les stagiaires. In P. Perrenoud, M. Altet, C. Lessard & L. Paquay (eds.), Conflits de savoirs en formation dês enseignants (pp. 91-105). Brussels: Éditions De Boeck. Amobi, F. (2003). Finding and speaking their own voices: using an online survey to elicit pre-service teachers’ reflectivity about educational beliefs. Reflective Practice, 4(3), 345-360.
5. Anspal, T., Eisenschmidt, E. & Löfström, E. (2012). Finding myself as a teacher: exploring the shaping of teacher identities through student teachers’ narratives. Teachers and Teaching, 18(2), 197-216.
6. Barnett, B. & O’Mahony, G. (2006). Developing a culture of reflection: implications for school improvement. Reflective Practice, 7(4), 499-523.
7. Bean, T. & Stevens, L. (2002). Scaffolding reflection for preservice and inservice teachers. Reflective Practice, 3(2), 205-218.
8. Braga, C., Dias, A., Formosinho, J., Ruivo, J., Pereira, J. & Tavares, J. (1988). A situação do professor em Portugal. Análise Social, XXIV(103-104), 1187-1293.

9. Brooks, C. (2006). Geographical Knowledge and Teaching Geography. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 15(4), 353-369.
10. Brooks, C. (2011). Geographical knowledge and professional development. In Graham Butt (eds.), Geography, education and the future (pp. 165-180). London: Continuum.
11. Bruce, C. & Russell, A. (1992). Transforming tomorrow today: proceedings of the second world congress on action learning. Brisbane: University of Queensland
12. Bukor, E. (2015). Exploring teacher identity from a holistic perspective: reconstructing and reconnecting personal and professional selves. Teachers and Teaching, 21(3), 305-327.
13. Campos, B. (2000). Teacher education policies in Portugal. In B. Campos (eds.), Teacher education policies in the European Union (pp. 225-242). Lisbon: Ministério da Educação.
14. Canário, R. (2001). Formação inicial de professors: que futuro? Síntese dos relatórios de avaliação dos cursos para o 3.º ciclo do ensino básico e ensino secundário. Lisbon: INAFOP.
15. Clarke, M. & Drudy, S. (2006). Teaching for diversity, social justice and global awareness. European Journal of Teacher Education, 29(3), 371-386. Cox, E. (2005). Adult learners learning from experience: using a reflective practice model to support work-based learning. Reflective Practice, 6(4), 459-472.
16. Desjardins, J. & Hensler, H. (2009). À la recherché d’une coherence dans les programmes de formation à l’enseignement. In Richard Etienne et al. (eds.). L’université peut-elle vraiment former les enseignants? (pp. 145-159). Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
17. Delandshere, G. & Petrosky, A. (2004). Political rationales and ideological stances of the standards-based reform of teacher education in the US. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 1-15.
18. Dolan, A., Waldron, F., Pike, S. & Greenwood, R. (2014). Student teachers’ reflections on prior experiences of learning geography. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 23(4), 314-330.
19. Etienne, R. et al. (2009). L’université peut-elle vraiment former les enseignants?. Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
20. Formosinho, J. (2000). Teacher education in Portugal. Teacher training and teacher professionality. In B. Campos (eds.), Teacher education policies in the European Union (pp. 25-42). Lisbon: Ministério da Educação.
21. Gleeson, J., O’Flaherty, J., Galvin, T. & Hennessy, J. (2015). Student teachers, socialisation, school placement and schizophrenia: the case of curriculum change. Teachers and Teaching, 21(4), 437-458.
22. Gonzalez, J. & Wagenaar R. (2003). Tuning educational structures in Europe – Final Report/Phase One. Bilbao: Universidad de Deusto.
23. Hamachek, D. (1999). Effective teachers: What they do, how they do it, and the importance of self-knowledge. In R. P. Lipka & T. M. Brinthaupt (eds.), The role of self in teacher development (pp. 189-224). Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
24. Lessard, C. (2012). Controverses éducatives et réflexivité: quand-à-soi personel ou professionnalisation?. In M. Tardif, C. Borges & A. Mallo (eds.), Le virage réflexif en education: oú en sommes-nous 30 ans après Schön? (pp. 123-141). Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
25. McKernan, J. (1992). Action research as the basis for teaching, learning and professional development. In C. Bruce & A. Russell (eds.), Transforming tomorrow today: proceedings of the second world congress on action learning. Brisbane: University of Queensland
26. Pajares, M. (1992). Teachers' beliefs and educational research: cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62 (3) 361-369.
27. Perrenoud, P. et al. (2008). Conflits de savoirs en formation des enseignants. Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
28. Pomeroy, D. (1993). Belief into practice: An exploration of linkage between elementary teacher’s beliefs about the nature of science and their classroom practice. Michigan: U.M.I. Dissertation Services.
29. Popkewitz, T. (2010). The Limits of Teacher Education Reforms: School Subjects, Alchemies, and an Alternative Possibility. Journal of Teacher Education, 61(5), 413-421.
30. Riopel, M.-C. & Gervais, C. (2008). Construire un rapport à la formation par narration d’expériences. In P. Perrenoud, M. Altet, C. Lessard & L. Paquay (eds.), Conflits de savoirs en formation dês enseignants (pp. 185-198). Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
31. Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practioner. New York: Basic Books.
32. Schön, D. (1987). Educating the Reflective Practioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
33. Schön, D. (1992). Formar Professores como Profissionais Reflexivos. In A. Nóvoa (eds.), Os professores e a sua Formação (pp. 72-92). Lisbon: Dom Quixote.
34. Sousa, C. P. (2011). The teacher’s work. In M. Chaib, B. Danermark & S. Selander (eds.), Education, professionalization and social representations: on the transformation of social knowledge (pp. 68-74). London: Routledge.
35. Stenberg, K. (2010). Identity work as a tool for promoting the professional development of student teachers. Reflective Practice, 11(3), 331-346.
36. Stenberg, K., Karlsson, L., Pitkaniemi, H. & Maaranen, K. (2014). Beginning student teachers’ teacher identities based on their practical theories. European Journal of Teacher Education, 37(2), 204-219.
37. Tam, A. (2015). The role of a professional learning community in teacher change: a perspective from beliefs and practices. Teachers and Teaching, 21(1), 22-43.
38. Tutiaux-Guillon, N. (2008). Interpréter la stabilité d’une discipline scolaire: l’histoire-géographie dans le secondaire français. In F. Audigier & N. Tutiaux-Guillon (eds) Compétences et contenus: les curriculums en questions (pp. 117-146). Brussels: Éditions De Boeck.
39. Usher, R., Bryant, I. & Johnston, R. (1997). Adult education and the postmodern challenge: learning beyond the limits. London: Routledge.