The creation of a space for research and education, with teachers at the start of their careers

Abstract

In this text, we value the participation of the subjects in research and education, maintaining a relationship between the two in a piece of work developed as part of the first author's doctoral thesis, which is still ongoing. The aim is to discuss the creation of a participant methodology and to understand how it provided a space for reflection on teaching and professional development.  In 2023, six novice teachers from Maricá/RJ took part in the research. We propose ways of working, listening and learning that aim to find answers to procedural questions, allowing for theoretical constructions about the person in education and with their own voice (Leal da Costa et al). This implied recognizing that research is a fundamental element in teacher education, assuming that a device constructed in a participatory manner allowed for understanding associated with the production of professional and scientific knowledge, including providing answers to the research objectives. We present the methodological construction of the bioprofessional workshop (Rego, Leite & Leal da Costa), inspired by the concept of the biographical project workshop (Delory-Momberger). We can see that the bioprofessional workshop was a space/time for reflection and the production of knowledge by the participating teachers and the researcher, in scenarios that allowed them to understand both the trajectories of what they experienced, as well as broader contextual and socio-historical frameworks and desires for the future. The participants became aware of their practice and, at the same time, it contributed to their professional development (Leal da Costa et al). We found that the workshop enabled a critical reading of their own practices, the perception of authorship of professional knowledge, and ways of learning to be a teacher in the act of teaching.