Formação continuada virtual da escola de formação e desenvolvimento profissional de educadores de Minas Gerais: processos, desafios e possibilidades

Abstract

This dissertation presents research on the continuing education offered by the School for the Training and Professional Development of Educators of Minas Gerais, provided through its Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Situated in an educational context marked by significant transformations in teaching practices, the investigation highlights the relevance of continuing education in meeting the demands of contemporary teaching. Considering discussions on teacher continuing education and the specificities of the transition period between the stages of elementary education, the study seeks to deepen the understanding of these topics, analyzing how they are addressed within the context of Minas Gerais and identifying challenges and opportunities in the local educational scenario. The research reflects on the School for the Training of Educators as a strategic branch of the State Department of Education of Minas Gerais (SEE/MG), with the potential to contribute socially and scientifically to the formative processes required in the field of education. It problematizes and analyzes the processes of creation, availability, and evaluation of the courses offered through the VLE. The general objective was to investigate whether the continuing education provided by the school, through VLE courses, contributes to the professional development of teachers working in the final years of elementary school. To achieve this purpose, the following specific objectives were implemented: to analyze the distance education (DE) courses offered by the school; to identify changes in teaching practices attributed to participation in virtual continuing education; to understand the formative needs of teachers, including those emerging in the post-COVID-19 period; and to examine how teachers’ formative demands are incorporated into the planning of VLE courses. Related to the scientific field of teacher education, this research is justified by its contribution in analyzing the continuing education offered through the VLE of the School for the Training of Educators and by investigating how this education relates to the professional development of teachers. By identifying its contributions and limitations, this study is expected to foster the improvement of formative initiatives, encouraging dialogue with teachers and the collective construction of recommendations for future training. With a qualitative approach and exploratory nature, the research was theoretically based on authors such as Freire, Shulman, Garcia, Tardif, Nóvoa, and Alvim, among others, who enriched the discussions in this work. Data were collected through online questionnaires, the Free Word Association Technique, semi-structured interviews, and document analysis. Data analysis was based on the thematic analysis described by Fontoura. The participants of the research were elementary school teachers (final years) and a representative member of the School for the Training of Educators. The results indicate that, although the courses offered by the School for the Training of Educators partially meet the teachers' needs, the prioritization of the institutional demands of SEE/MG over the practical needs of educators highlights a misalignment between the training provided and the everyday challenges faced in the classroom. The accounts reveal the need for the training to promote direct dialogue with the school reality, foster spaces for interaction, value the specificities of teachers, and integrate theory and practice more meaningfully.