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Peer observation of teaching has for long been defended as a valuable device of professional and institutional development in higher education, but is almost unexplored at primary- and secondary-level schools. This paper introduces a model for multidisciplinary peer observation of teaching that has been developed and implemented in a professional development programme in two Portuguese school clusters of basic and secondary education in collaboration with its teachers. After four years of developing the programme in these school clusters, a case study was conducted through a qualitative analysis of observation guides completed throughout the years (N = 563) to identify perceived effects of participating in the programme for both teacher professional development and reflective practices. The programme emerged as a powerful initiative to foster teacher collaboration, innovation, and reflection for improving practices. Implications related to current national curriculum and educational policies are discussed. Ana Cristina Torres é financiada pela Fundação Portuguesa para a Ciência e Tecnologia (SFRH/BPD/108950/2015) e pelo Centro de Investigação e Intervenção em Educação da Faculdade de Psicologia e Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto, Portugal (UID/CED/00167/2019; UIDB/00167/2020). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

O acentuado envelhecimento docente em Portugal tem sido reconhecido como um dos obstáculos à mudança do paradigma educacional com que muitos sistemas educativos europeus estão comprometidos. As crescentes diferenças geracionais entre professores e alunos, as constantes pressões para a utilização educativa das tecnologias e a intensificação do trabalho docente têm contribuído para algum sentimento de ineficácia do trabalho curricular e um certo desencanto profissional em muitos professores. Neste contexto, o projeto REKINDLE+50 trabalhou com professores veteranos procurando potenciar a relação entre a sua agência curricular e as práticas de ensino pelo recurso a tecnologias digitais, com vista à promoção de um (re)encantamento profissional através da inovação curricular. Este texto analisa perspetivas de professores veteranos sobre os desafios da inovação curricular pelo uso de tecnologias, incluindo práticas, riscos percebidos, obstáculos e estratégias de superação que identificam na sua agência perante a inovação curricular. Assumindo uma metodologia qualitativa de cariz interpretativo, foi realizada uma análise de conteúdo aos murais em padlet e às reflexões individuais de 36 professores que participaram num curso de formação, organizado no âmbito do projeto, bem como às transcrições de três grupos de discussão focalizada. Desta análise constatou-se que a agência curricular de professores veteranos é potenciada por práticas de inovação pelas tecnologias, sobretudo quando percebem a sustentabilidade dessas práticas e os efeitos das mesmas numa participação mais ativa dos alunos nas atividades de ensino e na melhoria das suas aprendizagens. The marked ageing of teachers in Portugal has been recognised as one of the obstacles to the change of the educational paradigm to which many European educational systems are committed. The growing generational differences between teachers and students, the constant pressures for the educational use of technologies and the intensification of the teaching work have contributed to a feeling of inefficiency of the curricular work and a certain professional disenchantment in many teachers. In this context, the REKINDLE+50 project worked with veteran teachers seeking to enhance the relationship between their curricular agency and teaching practices through the use of digital technologies, with a view to promoting professional (re)enchantment through curricular innovation. This text analyses veteran teachers’ perspectives about the challenges of curricular innovation through the use of technologies, including practices, perceived risks, obstacles and overcoming strategies that they identify in their agency towards curricular innovation. Assuming a qualitative methodology of interpretative nature, a content analysis was conducted to the murals on padlet and the individual reflections of 36 teachers who participated in a training course, organized within the project, as well as to the transcripts of three focus groups. From this analysis it was found that the curricular agency of veteran teachers is enhanced by innovation practices through technologies, especially when they perceive the sustainability of these practices and their effects on a more active participation of students in teaching activities and the improvement of their learning. Este estudo resulta do projeto “Migrações digitais e inovação curricular: ressignificar a experiência e (re)encantar a profissão docente depois dos 50” (REKINDLE+50), financiado pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/CED-EDG/28017/2017), na modalidade de Projetos de Investigação Científica e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (IC&DT). As autoras Ana Cristina Torres e Angélica Monteiro são financiadas pela Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, IP [SFRH/BPD/108950/2015 e 2020.01982.CEECIND] e apoiadas pelo projeto estratégico do Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Educativas da Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto, Portugal [ref. UID/CED/00167/2019; UIDB/00167/2020]. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Suddenly, the distance education system, which had been created to reach audiences traditionally without access to on-site teaching offers, became the norm. Teachers and Schools had to face this important question from day to night: how to continue to educate, share knowledge, help students and motivate them in the construction of knowledge? The purpose of this communication is to reflect on the effects of the schools closure, due to pandemic, on the pedagogical practices of teachers, namely on the pedagogical relationship. 59 Portuguese teachers of basic and secondary education were questioned, in a casual sample, but diversified in terms of the subjects they teach.The data obtained allow to conclude that despite all the constraints, the pedagogical relationship was maintained and even came out reinforced from the confinement experience.

A Avaliação Externa das Escolas (AEE) tem sido reconhecida, em Portugal, como um importante mecanismo de produção de mudanças nas escolas do ensino não superior, muito embora essas mudanças nem sempre pareçam atingir o cerne da ação educativa – a sala de aula. Atualmente no seu terceiro ciclo de implementação, a AEE privilegia o foco nos processos, concretamente nos processos de ensino. Tal justifica que prestemos um olhar atento à forma como processos orientados para a melhoria da prática letiva, como é o caso da supervisão pedagógica, são conceptualizados nos referenciais que orientam a AEE e nos relatórios que dela resultam. O estudo realizado baseou-se na análise documental dos referenciais dos 3 ciclos de AEE, dos relatórios do 3.º ciclo de AEE e, quando possível, e de forma complementar, de relatórios das mesmas escolas avaliadas em ciclos anteriores, numa lógica diacrónica. O corpus documental foi sujeito a análise de conteúdo. Os resultados salientam a presença de referências à supervisão desde o 1º ciclo de AEE, e uma tendência, sobretudo nos relatórios do 3.º ciclo, para valorizar uma supervisão pedagógica de matriz colaborativa, bem como para considerar que essa prática ainda não está completamente implementada nas escolas. The External Evaluation of Schools (EES) has been recognized in Portugal as an important mechanism for producing change in non-higher education schools, even though those changes appear not always to affect the core of educational action – the classroom. Currently in its 3rd cycle of implementation, EES privileges a focus on processes, specifically teaching processes. That justifies our intention to look intently into how processes oriented towards the improvement of teaching practices, such as teacher supervision, are conceptualized in the referentials that guide EES and on the evaluation reports it produces. The study was based on the documental analysis of the referentials of the 3 cycles of EES, of the school reports of the 3rd cycle of EES, and whenever possible, of the reports concerning the same schools in previous cycles of EES. The documental corpus was subjected to content analysis. The results highlight the presence of references to supervision since the 1st cycle of EES and a tendency, particularly in 3rd cycle reports, to value teacher supervision of a collaborative matrix, and to consider that practice is still not fully implemented at schools. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This paper introduces a partnership between researchers in Education Sciences and high school students and discusses the students’ perceptions of the effects of taking on the role of researchers in Education Sciences. These partnerships were established to develop a project in which high school students researched their school’s everyday life in collaboration with academic researchers. The partners are introduced, as well as the partnership and the steps for supporting the student researchers in developing their projects. Drawing on student voice literature, a qualitative evaluation of the students’ products and perspectives regarding their experiences as researchers pointed to the potential of these partnerships for the students’ engagement in discussions about educational trajectories and pathway choices with their peers, teachers and researchers. Moreover, the students’ perceptions indicate an improvement in their inquiry skills and valuing of research in Education Sciences. This paper adds to the existing literature on student voice in schools, by discussing processes to engage students as researchers of school issues and by highlighting the importance of student voice to early awareness and recognition of research in Education Sciences. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and by the European Social Fund – Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH) from Portugal 2020 Programme –, in the framework of the contract established under the transitional rule of Decree Law 57/2016, amended by Law 57/2017. It was supported also by the Portuguese Government, through the FCT, under CIIE’s multi-annual funding [grants no. UID/CED/00167/2019, UIDB/00167/2020 and UIDP/00167/2020]. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The paper describes an analysis of the questions posed by high school students regarding relationships between science and religion in a series of debates with scientists in public high schools of the northern part of Portugal. The exploratory interpretation of 171 collected anonymous written questions allowed for the detection of fragilities in the students’ ideas about the nature of science and the nature of religion, connected with a trend to reject religion using scientism arguments. The findings reinforce a need of revising the fragmented teaching of nature of science and its connections with religion towards a more contextualized approach of diversified episodes of these social endeavours, anchored in life’s ‘big questions’ that allow students to make cross-disciplinary connections. Our analysis also supports the need for more research on students’ questions rather than on students’ answers in more common research methodologies conducted to inform the development of a more meaningful curriculum. This work is financed by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) within the project UIDB/00081/2020. Ana Cristina Torres is funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) (SFRH/BPD/108950/2015) and by the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences from the University of Porto (UID/CED/00167/2019 and UIDB/00167/2020) info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

According to the Teaching and Learning International Survey (2019), the average age for a teacher, across OECD countries, is 44 years old, and the teacher workforce has aged in a number of countries, over the past 5 to 10 years. Given the demands expected from the contemporary teaching profession, the study of possible implications of ageing on the use of digital technologies in education is even more pertinent and relevant. This study aims to analyse veteran teachers’ perceptions about digital technologies and outline possible pathways for their professional development. Data collected through literature review and content analysis of veteran teachers’ perceptions, expressed in a continuing education training programme, show there are positive and negative thoughts and dilemmas related to the role of digital technology in education, and that there are myths regarding veteran teachers’ digital skills, competences and motivation to change practices, as well as misconceptions about the relationship between technologies and educational reforms. The results also indicate possible pathways to successful training practice with this target group. This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia [POCI-01-0145-FEDER -028017; UIDB/00167/2020; UIDP/00167/2020] and by the European Social Fund – Human Capital Operational Programme (POCH) from Portugal 2020 Programme, in the framework of the contract established under the transitional rule of Decree Law 57/2016, amended by Law 57/2017 (1st author). info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

espanolLa pandemia de COVID-19 esta provocando cambios a diferentes niveles y el sector educativo no ha sido inmune. La distancia social que se impuso afecto la forma de vivir la relacion pedagogica, con implicaciones para los procesos de ensenanza y aprendizaje. La nocion de espacio fisico del aula ha dado paso a una frontera fluida donde los artefactos digitales ocupan un lugar de primacia, ya que era necesario reinventar una cultura presencial en una cultura mediada por lo digital. Para responder a esta transicion, los profesores tuvieron que cambiar, alterar y adaptar rapidamente estrategias diferenciadas. La Universidade Aberta, en colaboracion con el Ministerio de Educacion de Portugal, diseno e impartio un curso de formacion para la docencia digital en red, con el objetivo de promover, en los docentes no superiores, las competencias en el area de la educacion a distancia. Este texto se centra especificamente en las formas de comunicacion entre los elementos de la comunidad educativa creados por las escuelas y cuyos representantes participaron en ese curso. Los datos recolectados provienen del referido curso de capacitacion en el que participaron aproximadamente 2300 docentes y directores de 756 clusters y escuelas no clusters de todo el pais. Siguiendo una metodologia cualitativa, basada en el analisis critico del discurso, nos enfocamos en la dimension de la comunicacion evidenciada en los trabajos finales que tomaron el formato de planes escolares, realizados de manera colaborativa. El analisis permitio identificar los mecanismos para garantizar la ocurrencia de las comunicaciones, evaluar la efectividad de los medios movilizados y relacionar los procesos comunicativos con el sentimiento de pertenencia a la comunidad educativa. EnglishThe COVID-19 pandemic is causing changes at different levels and the education sector has not been immune. The social distance that was imposed affected the way of experiencing the pedagogical relationship, with implications for the teaching and learning processes. The notion of physical classroom space has given way to a fluid frontier where digital artefacts occupy a central place, as it was necessary to reinvent a face-to-face culture in a culture mediated by digital. To respond to this transition, teachers had to quickly change and adapt differentiated strategies. Universidade Aberta, in partnership with the Ministry of Education of Portugal, designed and taught a training course for digital teaching in networks, with the objective of promoting, in non-higher education teachers, competences in the area of ​​distance education. This text focuses specifically on the forms of communication between the elements of the educational community created by the schools and whose representatives participated in that course. The data collected comes from the referred training course in which approximately 2300 teachers and principals from 756 clusters and non-clustered schools from all over the country participated. Following a qualitative methodology, based on critical discourse analysis, we focus on the communication dimension evidenced in the final works that took the format of school plans, carried out collaboratively. The analysis made it possible to identify the mechanisms to guarantee the occurrence of communications, to evaluate the effectiveness of the means mobilized and to relate the communicative processes with the feeling of belonging to the educational community. portuguesA pandemia da COVID-19 esta a provocar alteracoes a diferentes niveis e o setor da educacao nao ficou imune. O afastamento social que se impoe afetou a forma de vivenciar a relacao pedagogica, com implicacoes nos processos de ensino e aprendizagem. A nocao de espaco fisico de sala de aula deu lugar a uma fronteira fluida onde os artefactos digitais ocupam um lugar de primazia, pois foi necessario reinventar uma cultura de face a face numa cultura mediada pelo digital. Para responderem a esta transicao os professores tiveram que rapidamente alterar e alterar e adaptar estrategias diferenciadas. A Universidade Aberta, em parceria com o Ministerio da Educacao de Portugal, desenhou e ministrou um curso de formacao para a docencia digital em rede, com o objetivo de promover, nos professores do ensino nao superior, competencias na area da educacao a distância. Este texto centra-se especificamente nas formas de comunicacao entre os elementos da comunidade educativa criadas pelas escolas e cujos representantes participaram no referido curso. Os dados recolhidos provem do referido curso de formacao em que participaram cerca de 2300 professores e diretores de 756 agrupamentos e escolas nao agrupadas de todo pais. Seguindo uma metodologia qualitativa, com base na analise de conteudo tematica, centramo-nos na dimensao da comunicacao evidenciada nos trabalhos finais que assumiram o formato de planos escolares, realizados colaborativamente. A analise permitiu identificar os mecanismos de garantia de ocorrencia das comunicacoes, avaliar a eficacia dos meios mobilizados e relacionar os processos comunicativos com o sentimento de pertenca a comunidade educativa.

No início da terceira década do século XXI, mudanças significativas estão a ocorrer nas Instituições de Ensino Superior (IES). Se a necessidade de oferecer educação superior a mais estudantes, e mais diversificados, vinha constituindo um desafio, imposto pela globalização e pela economia do conhecimento, a pandemia obrigou as IES a reequacionar a sua oferta digital. Embora o Ensino Superior use extensivamente o e-learning, o ensino on-line, o ensino a distância, ou alguma outra forma de educação tecnológica, importa refletir sobre os efeitos que tal uso trará à reconfiguração da aprendizagem digital, mesmo num período pós pandemia. É esse propósito que estrutura este texto. Parte-se da literatura recente sobre a aprendizagem digital e seus contornos para refletir sobre as possibilidades e dificuldades que a pandemia lhe trouxe. In the first beginning of the third decade of 21 century, a huge change is occurring in Higher Education. The need to offer higher education to more students, and more diversified, had been a challenge to Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), imposed by globalization and the knowledge economy. However, the pandemic forced HEIs to rebalance their digital offer. Although e-learning, online education, distance learning, or some other form of technological education have been used extensively in HE, it is important to reflect on the effects that such use will bring to the reconfiguration of digital learning, even in a postpandemic period. Such is the purpose that frame this text. It starts from the recent literature on digital learning and its features to reflect on the possibilities and difficulties that the pandemic has brought to the concept and its practices. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This paper is supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Portugal), under the project FCT PTDC/CEDEDG/30410/2017. answer the complex demands placed by current social dynamics. Responding to this fast-paced changing society, however, has to be a priority of educational systems. Evaluation and accountability processes have been recognized as essential mechanisms in order to validate innovation – both internally – centered on self-regulation and self-evaluation, - and externally – towards the context and society the educational institution answers to. However, external evaluation also carries a number of risks [3], which may lead schools away from innovation, and toward ‘safer’ choices in terms of a culture of performativity or an audit culture [4] [5] [6]. The current model of External School Evaluation of non-higher education schools in Portugal, which was piloted in 2018, stresses innovative practices, as they are a requirement for schools to achieve the maximum evaluation mention, and less directly since indicators related to innovative practices are included in its referential. Our communication is based on the documental analysis of the external evaluation reports produced in the current cycle of evaluation and the previous reports on the schools evaluated in this cycle, focusing on innovative practices and intending to answer the following questions: What kinds of practices are deemed as innovative in external evaluation reports? Were there mentions to innovation in those schools' previous reports? How are innovation practices promoted or hindered by the perspectives present in these reports? Fifteen such reports were analyzed by the authors (higher education teachers involved in a project concerned with external school evaluation funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology: FCT PTDC/CEDEDG/30410/2017). Results show that there are both positive and negative remarks made about innovative practices in schools. Not all reports refer to innovative practices. Aspects considered innovative are mostly related to the domain «provision of educational service», and to a smaller extent, «leadership and management». Preliminary results show that some «innovative» practices may be reinforced by the external school evaluation reports, regardless of the overall assessment of the schools involved. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

This article aims to map the research trends on the processes of students’ transition to higher education in the European context. For this, a review of literature was carried out, aiming to understand how the processes of transition to higher education in Europe are being studied. The qualitative analysis of these references allowed us to understand how the research relates to the social and political situations in the contexts in which it occurs, and it was possible to identify relationships between research perspectives and the challenges of educational contexts over time. From this premise, there are also differences found between studies of the European context, in general, and those that are specific to the Portuguese context. While in the European context an educational perspective on the transition is highlighted, in the Portuguese context, a more psychological or individual perspective was found, with a greater focus on the student and his/her characteristics. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The article analyzes the relationship between the External Evaluation of Schools (EES) - which takes place in Portugal since 2006 - and the curricular management processes. Its objective is to identify the effects of this evaluation on the curriculum management of schools. Data were collected by 108 questionnaires, two interviews and two focus groups in two Portuguese school groups with two distinct situations: a school group that rose in the rankings from the first to the second evaluation cycle (from 2006-2011/2012 to 2012-2015/2016) and the other one which dropped. The data analysis showed that the EES had a moderate impact on the curricular practices of the school group studied. However, there was a difference: the school group that rose in the rankings recognizes in more aspects and with more clarity the impact of EES on the restructure of its curricular practices. Resumo O artigo analisa a relação entre a Avaliação Externa das Escolas (AEE) - que ocorre em Portugal desde 2006 - e os processos de gestão curricular, com o objetivo de identificar efeitos desta avaliação nos modos de gestão do currículo que ocorrem nas escolas. Os dados foram recolhidos por 108 questionários, duas entrevistas e dois grupos focais, em dois agrupamentos de escolas portuguesas que correspondem a situações distintas: um agrupamento de escolas subiu nas classificações do primeiro para o segundo ciclo avaliativo (de 2006-2011/2012 para 2012-2015/2016) e o outro desceu. A análise dos dados permitiu constatar que a AEE teve um efeito moderado nas práticas curriculares dos agrupamentos de escolas estudados notando-se, no entanto, uma diferença: o agrupamento de escolas que subiu a classificação reconhece em mais aspetos e com mais clareza o efeito da AEE na reorganização das suas práticas curriculares. Resumen: El artículo evalúa la relación entre la Evaluación Externa de los Centros Escolares (EECE) - que tiene lugar en Portugal desde 2006 - y los procesos de gestión curricular. Su objetivo es identificar los efectos de la evaluación externa de los centros escolares en la gestión del currículo que se hace en las escuelas. Los datos fueron recolectados por medio de 108 encuestas, dos entrevistas y dos focus groups en dos grupos de escuelas portuguesas, que corresponden a dos situaciones diferentes: un grupo escolar subió la clasificación del primer ciclo al segundo ciclo de evaluación (de 2006-2011/2012 a 2012-2015/2016) y el otro obtuvo una clasificación menor. El análisis de los datos permitió establecer que la EECE tuvo un efecto moderado sobre las prácticas curriculares de las escuelas estudiadas, sin embargo, se señala una diferencia: el grupo de escuelas que aumentó la calificación reconoce más, y más claramente, el efecto de EECE en la reorganización de sus prácticas curriculares.

Em Portugal, o combate às desigualdades sociais dos alunos do ensino básico levou à criação do Programa TEIP (Territórios Educativos de intervenção Prioritária). Instituído por legislação de 1996 em escolas com insucesso escolar ou com situações sociais problemáticas, este programa de discriminação positiva, centrado na escola e nas suas comunidades envolventes, está em 2013 na sua 3ª fase. Conceito importante neste programa TEIP é o da territorialização curricular, definido por Leite (2005) como a possibilidade de agência local nas tomadas de decisão curricular, e capaz de constituir elemento determinante na construção do currículo articulado, coerente e significativo. Este conceito assenta na possibilidade que os territórios locais e os seus agentes têm de decidir assuntos relativos à educação, de acordo com princípios e interesses que são relevantes localmente. É no quadro desta medida política e das ideias que a justificam que se situa este estudo. É seu objectivo avaliar os efeitos do programa TEIP 2 na territorialização curricular desenvolvida pelas escolas TEIP. Os dados foram recolhidos através dos relatórios de avaliação das escolas, realizados pela Inspeção Geral da Educação e Ciência, numa amostra de 40% das escolas avaliadas no ano de 2011/2012, das quais 9 são TEIP e os efeitos são analisados ao nível das parcerias e do seu impacto no trabalho curricular. Os resultados apontam para uma apropriação do conceito de territorialização curricular e alcance das acções que dele decorrem nas escolas que são TEIP, em consonância com o dispositivo legal., Interacções, vol. 13 n.º 46 (2017): NÚMERO ESPECIAL - Diferentes olhares sobre a educação

This article intends to debate the institutional modes of first-year adjustment to higher education. Specifically, the aim is to analyze and consider the need to include social and academic integration activities in the curricular programs. The presented contributions are based on the investigations over the case study course that was studied using non-experimental and descriptive approach. The “Projeto FEUP” (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto) course is analyzed as it addresses the mentioned integration concerns explicitly by providing tutoring by selected older students (relating to social integration) and adequate teamwork challenges (relating to academic integration). The presented case study course is given to about 1,000 students across nine engineering degrees at the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto, in Portugal. The article includes some details about not infrequent practices such as “hazing” of newcomer students and strategies for circumventing associated disadvantages. The results shown in the article indicate that the students involved tend to see it as a significant academic integration device, regarding mainly academic work and expectations.

This study researches how first-year engineering students perceived the influence of curricular activities on their own learning autonomy, measured with an adaptation of the Personal Responsibility Orientation to Self-direction in Learning Scale (PRO-SDLS). Participants were questioned to assess the influence of the teacher’s role. The results indicate that learners’ characteristics (motivation and self-efficacy) contribute more to learner autonomy (LA) than the teaching–learning transaction (control and initiative), as in the original PRO-SDLS validation. The most autonomous learners presented higher values in all LA components and dimensions, but the differences were greater in motivation and initiative. The participants with higher LA were not as dependent on the teacher, regarding assessment, the completion of classroom tasks and deadlines. Regardless of the degree of autonomy in learning, all participants viewed teachers as the main source of information. Therefore, LA plays an important role in teaching activities planning. Suggestions for adjustments and more flexible learning scenarios are formulated.

The study followed students in their 10th year of schooling that entered a new secondary education school in order to examine their perceptions of their previous schools’ work and of its relationship with the difficulties they experience when in the transition. The analysis of 155 completed questionnaires of previous students of nine basic education schools verified that students generally appreciated their former schools’ work in facilitating their transition experience, particularly in academic and procedural aspects. They also recognised the importance of their own skills, attitudes and previous experiences in their transition phase to the new secondary school. Nevertheless, results indicate that for quality improvement purposes, basic education schools should develop projects aimed at fostering their students’ study/work methods in order for them to be able to face increased volume and rigour in their future performances.

Shaped by the pedagogical relationship that teachers create in their school places, the relevant curriculum corresponds to this learning experience, a curriculum that is guided by international policies that have been changing school practices over the years. Expressive arts’ education is one of the curriculum areas and seeks to create an integrated and flexible curricular knowledge through activities that promote children’s development. Primary teachers are promoters of such experiences. This research aims to discover and explore teachers’ perceptions of the process of teacher education and of their work context in the global promotion of the expressive arts area, contextualizing historical processes. To achieve this goal a mixed methods approach was used. The research had a total of 98 participants from ten school clusters. Findings highlight an unclear teacher profile, revealing controversy from teacher education courses and the conditions they find in their schools. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Teachers' role in curriculum design is a broad question that inspires political educational reforms among European countries, a trend that even extends to higher education politics. The perspective on teachers' role in curriculum, both at the level of the policies and of the practices, shapes recent educational reforms in Portugal. These are the concerns underlying our research that intends to substantiate school teachers' involvement in curriculum development as it is experienced by them, and while comparing their views to the roles they are attributed in the political and academic dominant discourses. To reach teachers' perceptions, we distributed questionnaires which were completed by 214 teachers in primary and secondary schools. We could conclude that the enactment of a professional identity on the basis of teacher assumption of their role as real curriculum designers is still far from being achieved.

Peer Observation of Teaching has raised a lot of interest as a device for quality enhancement of teaching. While much research has focused on its models, implementation schemes and feedback to the observed, little attention has been paid to what the observer actually sees and can learn from the observation. A multidisciplinary peer observation of teaching program is described, and its data is used to identify the pedagogical aspects to which lecturers pay more attention to when observing classes. The discussion addresses the valuable learning opportunities for observers provided by this program, as well as its usefulness in disseminating, sharing and clarifying quality teaching practices. The need for further research concerning teacher-student relationships and students’ engagement is also suggested.

O desenvolvimento cognitivo, pessoal e social da criança é a finalidade que a educação básica em Portugal pretende atingir, a organizar curricularmente os saberes que permitirão às crianças experienciar diferentes cenários e conteúdos, estimulando suas aprendizagens. A educação das expressões artísticas e físico-motoras contribui de forma essencial para esse desenvolvimento integral. Assim, são reconfiguradas as dinâmicas pedagógicas, o que, consequentemente, especifica os movimentos do corpo de alunos. Os professores do ensino básico são, inevitavelmente, promotores dessas experiências. Este artigo apresenta um estudo que procurou identificar e caracterizar o modo como professores planejam e colocam em ação a educação artística e a Educação Física, desenvolvendo o conceito de educação das expressões, em que movimento é entendido como principal meio de comunicação das expressões. Recorreu-se a uma metodologia mista. Os resultados evidenciam uma estreita relação entre as condições organizacionais e os modos como os professores desenvolvem a criatividade e a motricidade das crianças.

O projeto de par em par na Universidade do Porto (UP) surgiu na sequência de uma iniciativa multidisciplinar semelhante desenvolvida entre a Faculdade de Engenharia e a Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação em regime experimental no segundo semestre de 2008-09 e durante o ano letivo 2009-10, cuja maior finalidade era a de recorrer à observação de pares como uma oportunidade de formação de professores. Na sequência, o processo de observação de aulas em parceria foi alargado a título experimental a dez Unidades Orgânicas (UO) da Universidade do Porto, no segundo semestre do ano letivo 2010-2011. A observação de aulas baseada no conceito de amigo crítico (observação de pares) é comum em muitas universidades. A especificidade da observação de aulas em parceria proposta para aplicação na UP é o seu carácter multidisciplinar e a sua finalidade formativa, quer para os observados, quer para os observadores. O texto que se apresenta propõe-se discutir uma questão central que emerge desta experiência, a saber: Qual é o potencial formativo da observação de pares multidisciplinar?, Revista Portuguesa de Investigação Educacional, n. 12 (2012): Supervisão, colegialidade e avaliação

O conceito de bildung designa o modo especificamente humano de dar forma às disposições e capacidades naturais do homem e, por isso, o tempo (histórico) e a auto apropriação do sentido da transformação, que a cada um assiste, são dimensões essenciais à bildung. Todavia, a tradição tem associado este conceito, especificamente, à formação geral que valoriza o termo geral como uma intrínseca qualidade do conhecimento que deve ser pensado universalmente… Neste texto apresenta-se o conceito de bildung e discute-se a possibilidade de constituir fundamento epistemológico das histórias de vida. Conclui-se pela necessidade de articular uma abordagem antropológica da ciência a uma perspectiva hermenêutica de entender as histórias de vida, para que tal fundamentação aconteça.

O artigo examina as relações de parceria entre escola e comunidade em Portugal, analisando-as a partir da avaliação externa a que as escolas são sujeitas. Os objetivos principais são conhecer a importância dada ao estabelecimento de relações de parceria entre as escolas e a comunidade, caracterizar as áreas de parcerias privilegiadas e avaliar os efeitos gerados. Para isso foram analisados 52 relatórios de avaliação externa de escolas, que representam 20,8% da totalidade dos agrupamentos de escolas existentes em 2012 e 2013 no Norte e no Centro de Portugal, e 60% das escolas avaliadas nesses anos. Os dados permitem concluir, entre outros aspectos, que grande parte das escolas/agrupamentos apresenta um elevado número de parcerias com instituições locais e que estas são muito reconhecidas por favorecerem dinâmicas enriquecedoras de aprendizagem e de formação global dos alunos. The article examines the partnership between school and community in Portugal, analyzing them based on the external evaluations to which schools are subjected. The main goals are to understand the importance attributed to the establishment of partnerships between schools and communities outline the areas of privileged partnerships and evaluate the generated effects. To this effect 52 external evaluation reports were analyzed, representing 20.8% of total school districts as of 2012 and 2013 in the North and Center of Portugal and 60% of schools evaluated in these years. The data leads to the conclusion that, among other aspects, most schools/school groups present a high number of partnerships with local institutions and that they can certainly provide enriching dynamics in learning and overall upbringing of students. RÉSUMÉ Le présent article analyse les relations de partenariat entre école et communauté au Portugal à partir de l'évaluation externe à laquelle sont soumis les établissements scolaires. Les principaux objectifs consistent à rendre compte de l'importance accordée aux relations de partenariat entre les écoles et la communauté, à identifier les domaines privilégiés de ces associations et d'en évaluer les effets. À cette fin, nous avons analysé cinquante-deux rapports d'évaluation externe d'écoles, ce qui correspond à 20,8% de l'ensemble des groupes scolaires existants en 2012 et 2013 dans le Nord et le Centre du Portugal, et à 60% des écoles évaluées lors de ces deux années. Les données nous ont permis de conclure, entre autres aspects, qu'une grande partie des écoles/groupes scolaires jouit d'un nombre important de partenariats avec des institutions locales, et que cela favorise aux yeux de tous des dynamiques enrichissantes d'apprentissage et de formation globale des élèves. El artículo examina las relaciones de colaboración entre escuela y comunidad en Portugal teniendo en cuenta la evaluación externa a la cual los centros educativos están sujetos. Los objetivos principales son conocer la importancia dada al establecimiento de relaciones entre las escuelas y la comunidad, caracterizar las áreas de asociación privilegiadas y evaluar los efectos generados. Se analizaron para ello 52 informes de evaluación externa de las escuelas, lo que representa el 20,8% del total de agrupaciones escolares existentes en 2012 y 2013 en el Norte y en el Centro de Portugal, bien como el 60% de las escuelas evaluadas en esos años. Los datos permiten concluir que gran parte de las escuelas/agrupaciones escolares presenta un elevado número de colaboraciones con instituciones locales y que estas son muy reconocidas por fortalecer dinámicas innovadoras de aprendizaje y de formación global de los estudiantes.