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Enhancing pedagogy for autonomy through learning communities: making our dream come true?

2009; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 3; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/17501220903404525

1750-1237

Flávia Vieira,

Service-Learning and Community Engagement

Abstract Academic researchers and teacher educators have had a leading role in the field of autonomy in language education, hoping that teachers can ‘make their dreams come true’. However, the pedagogy for autonomy dream will only come true when it becomes the teachers’ dream, which means that unless they also play a leading role in the construction of knowledge for the promotion of learner autonomy, opportunities for transforming school pedagogy will be missed. One possibility is to form university–school networks that function as learning communities where (inter)personal development is linked to the definition of common goals, allowing for diversity in a democratic, supportive environment. I build on the case of the Grupo de Trabalho-Pedagogia para a Autonomia (Working Group-Pedagogy for Autonomy) to discuss the nature and the potential value of such communities for developing professional knowledge that is teaching/teacher development-based, context-sensitive and fluid. Keywords: pedagogy for autonomyuniversity–school networkslearning communitiesprofessional knowledge Notes 1. At present, it is impossible to know how many schoolteachers are in the group exactly, because we have never removed their names from our contact list (which has around 190 people) when they stop participating. Around 40 have been relatively actively involved recently, but new members keep coming at all times; the group includes 14 colleagues/teacher educators from our and other universities working in the areas of methodologies of education, curriculum and pedagogical supervision. 2. Isabel Sandra Fernandes is a member of the GT-PA and was a colleague of ours at the University for some years. She is carrying out a research project that I supervise whose focus is the GT-PA as a learning community. A total of 45 GT-PA members answered her questionnaire in 2008. This questionnaire was anonymous. It elicited some information on the participants’ professional background and length of enrolment in the GT-PA, followed by two open questions on reasons for joining the group and representations of it. 3. At present, autonomy is a major educational principle across the school curriculum and in educational policies in general. However, as in many other countries, practices fall short of the official recommendations (see, for example, Lamb Citation2008). 4. The colleagues working more closely with me at present are Maria Alfredo Moreira, José Luís Silva and Maria do Céu Melo. Isabel Barbosa, Isabel Sandra Fernandes and Madalena Paiva belonged to our team for many years. They returned to their secondary schools but keep an important role in the GT-PA. Graça Branco also belonged to the group until she retired years ago. 5. The group meets four to five times each year, on Saturday mornings. The agenda usually includes sharing experiences, which often leads to discussions about the value and constraints of pedagogy for autonomy. Meetings may also develop around themes of interest to the group. Occasionally, we organise accredited courses to meet the credit requirements for the secondary level teaching careers. Every two years we organise a local conference where the GT-PA members can disseminate their work. Dissemination also occurs through conference proceedings and Cadernos, an in-house publication initiated in 1999. 6. I am not including the texts that will represent the proceedings of the fourth GT-PA conference, to be published in late 2009.