Action research on continuing formation of physical education teachers regarding the subject dance: the possible implications while rethinking and transforming physical education, arts and pedagogy's applications

Author(s)

Nilza Coqueiro Pires de Sousa

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Rio Claro. 2017-04-18.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp). Instituto de Biociências. Rio Claro
• Defense date: 2016-10-07
• Advisor: Dagmar Aparecida Cynthia França Hunger

Abstract

In this action-research the goal was to analyze, in the field of dancing, through a program of continuing education in Physical Education, the possible implications in the reinvention and transformation of the teaching practice of a group of Physical Education, Arts and Pedagogy teachers that are actively working in elementary schools or in the early years of middle school, regarding the teaching of dance in schools, focusing in the interdisciplinarity between the three areas of knowledge. This program was made by a public university, along with two Municipal Secretaries and a State Regional Directory of the state of São Paulo, based on the contribuitions of Educational Dance, advocated by Rudolf Laban (1966, 1975a, 1975b, 1978a, 1978b). While making the proposed literature reviews, the following aspects were analyzed: initial formation, educational dance, continuing education and its educational mission. The approach method for this case study was fundamented in action research, focusing on mixed qualitative and quantitative samples. The empirical knowledge consisted of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, oral and written reports, document analysis and observations in the teaching practice of a group of teachers. Forty one teachers participated in the first sample collection, twenty one in the second, and nine in the last, regarding the observation of teaching practice. The analysis was articulately made along with the text production, through descriptive statistics processes and content analysis. From the analysis, it was determined that few formative actions in dancing are offered by public agencies. Regarding the dance experiences during schooling, the most predominant ones were accomplished within other contexts (gyms, dance clubs, friends' houses, etc), all related to moments of fun and participation in holiday celebrations during the school years. Gaps on dance knowledge and the diversity of meanings attributed to dance were found in the students' initial education, while communication and expression of feelings and emotions prevailed. Within the teachers' hardships regarding dance teaching in schools, internal influences were predominant, followed by scientific-methodological methods and external influences, as well as its disregard within the school staff. With the initiation of the program's evaluation, made by the teachers, a multidimensional composition of satisfaction became evident, with a highlight on the learning and further development of the academic-scientific contents of dance, the mastering of presuppositions of educational dance and the didactic-methodological procedures. Regarding the educational mission, the educators considered the moments of discussion and reflexion about the Political-Pedagogical Proposal (PPP), the interdisciplinarity process and the colective systematization of dance contents to be of extreme importance for the production and socialization of knowledge. Finally, the changes provoked by the theoretical-practical experiences resulted in a further development of teachers' academic-scientific knowledge and a stronger commitment to insert dance contents in their pedagogical practice. It was concluded that the action-research was successful and the program of continuing education provided a new meaning to the pedagogical practice of dance teaching in schools, as seen by the changes that were provided by the teachers' reflexion, awareness, active and constructive participation in the three areas of interdisciplinar knowledge, articulation between practice-theory and by the need to continue performing formative actions, shared between the university and Education Secretaries. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 12/25430-5 - The challenges of continuing education in dance and their implications in teaching practice of school teacher
• Grantee: Nilza Coqueiro Pires de Sousa
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate