Teaching Practices and School Improvement

Abstract

Higher teacher training institutions in countries with obvious weaknesses in the functioning of the official school system need to find ways to increase their contributions to improving the quality of education at basic levels. The teaching practices constitute a special opportunity for these purposes, broadening their conception and development beyond the preparation and dictation of classes in schools. We systematized an experience guided by the intention of linking the practices to an improvement project so that students, teacher educators and practicing teachers work together in processes of reflection on the practice and in the development of innovative actions to submit them to trials. Practical

The experience was carried out, during 2 school years in an official school located in a low income parish of the capital city, whose enrollment from 1st to 6th grade is 1.l68 students distributed in 41 sections and two shifts. The main objective of the project is to foster cooperation among the members of the school community for the design and implementation of joint actions aimed at improving the pedagogical performance of the institution and the performance of students.

The experience is in process, among the partial scopes we can mention: a) The staff of the school has received benefits such as: updating workshops, classroom counseling, practitioners' help, diagnosis of the language and mathematics performance of all the students, preparation of the integral community educational project required by the authorities, as well as the annual action plan; b) the practitioners carried out their practices and developed research skills. c) the team of teachers and researchers has collaborated with the school, has collected and processed information about the school and its stakeholders for the diagnosis and improvement plan, as well as to support specific research on school management, facilitating and impeding factors of change, school management and others. There are numerous drawbacks to overcome but the advantages can overcome them. This modality of teaching practices allows the development of integrated teaching, research and extension activities, as well as to approach the dialectical interrelation theory-practice-theory. It is an excellent opportunity to settle the traditional separations between academics and practitioners; theory and reality and researchers and teachers. However, it is a complex process, requires preparation, coordination and attitude changes in university teachers.