Elementary studies in nine years: legal rules, school conditions and teacher s pratical pedagogy.

• Grant number: 10/09304-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2010
• End date: July 31, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Maria José da Silva Fernandes
• Grantee: Vanessa Ferreira Geraldo
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recently laws have been enacted introducing alterations in the school organization so more students could be accomodated. Such is the case of bill number 11.274 which prolonged elementary school duration from eight to nine years. The objective of this work is to confront legal texts and school practices in order to point to problems in the implementation of the nine-year program. Officially recommendations have been made that the necessary adaptations be made in such a way that the six-year-olds did not suffer from it. Another objective of this work is to shed light on pedagogical practices in the first school year. The project will be based on empirical, qualitative research and the data will be collected from direct observations and interviews. We believe that the schools have had a hard time adjusting to the new model mainly because the new official policies by the Brazilian Department of Education and the financial aid directed to effect the necessary physical, material and pedagogical adaptations are not in compass.