Changes in the Classroom: Accomplishments and Obstacles of an Innovative Proposal in the View of Teachers

Abstract

In 1999, the Judaic Education Council of Rio de Janeiro implemented the Educational Innovation Program (EIP) in the Israeli schools of that city so as to meet the new trends in Brazilian education. The present work was designed to evaluate the modifications taking place in the school environment as a result of EIP implementation, a program whose core idea is to work on knowledge building from the Piagetian perspective, active learning in Dewey’s conception, and multiple intelligences as presented by Gardner. In order to assess the chosen program, we used a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with the participants and observation of classrooms from the first to the fifth grade of elementary school. The results of our study showed that from the implementation of the program, the professionals involved were more motivated to search for information and update their knowledge so as to meet the differences between students, using a diversity of strategies and dynamic activities which led to encouraging student autonomy as regards their learning. The reported difficulties for the work to proceed were mainly about the schoolwork timetable planned for both the project and the subjects, and teachers having to cover an extensive curriculum, common to other Brazilian schools. In every innovative program, it is important for the professionals involved in it to continually re-evaluate its development, searching for changes or alternatives as difficulties are encountered. The aim of the present paper is to report the main findings of this research, as well as indicate the strengths and precautions to take in educational innovation proposals whose primary focus is classroom innovation.

Share and Cite:

Monteiro, L. & Smole, K. (2014). Changes in the Classroom: Accomplishments and Obstacles of an Innovative Proposal in the View of Teachers. Creative Education, 5, 63-69. doi: 10.4236/ce.2014.52011.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Alves-Mazzoti, A. J., & Gewandsznajder, F. (2001). O método nas ciências naturais e sociais—Pesquisa quantitativa e qualitativa. Sao Paulo: Pioneira Thomson Learning.
[2] Armstrong, T. (2001) Inteligências múltiplas na sala de aula. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
[3] Bardin, L. (1977). Análise de conteúdo. Lisboa: Edicaes 70.
[4] Brazil (1996). Lei de diretrizes e bases (LDB). Lei 9394/96. Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educacao Nacional. www.planalto.gov.br
[5] Denzin, N. (1978). The research act. New York: McGraw Hill.
[6] Dewey, J. (1976). Experiência e educacao. Traducao de Anísio Teixeira (2nd ed.). Sao Paulo: Nacional.
[7] Gardner, H. (1987) Beyond IQ: Education and human development. Harvard Educational Review, 57, 187-193.
[8] Gardner. H. (1995). Inteligências múltiplas: A teoria na prática. Porto Alegre: Artes Médicas.
[9] Gimeno Sacristán, J. (2000). O currículo: uma reflexao sobre a prática. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
[10] Glubman, R., & Yram, I. (1996). Desenvolvimento das técnicas de ensino em Israel. Ramat Gan: Universidade de Bar-Ilan.
[11] Ginzburg, C. (1991). Mitos, emblemas e sinais. Sao Paulo: Cia das Letras.
[12] Hernández, F. (2000). Aprendendo com as inovacaes nas escolas. Porto Alegre: Artes Médicas Sul.
[13] Lüdke, M., & André, M. (1986). Pesquisa em educacao: Abordagens qualitativas. Sao Paulo: EPU.
[14] Mello, G. N. (1998). Cidadania e competitividade. Sao Paulo: Cortez.
[15] Moulin, N. (1988). Projeto novo saber: Mudancas e inovacaes em educacao. Sao Goncalo: Universidade Salgado de Oliveira.
[16] Nóvoa, A. (2013) Nada substitui o bom professor.
www.sinprosp.org.br/arquivos/novoa/livreto_novoa.pdf
[17] Santomé, J. T. (1998). Globalizacao e interdisciplinaridade: O currículo integrado. Porto Alegre: Artes Médicas.
[18] Sechter, F. (2001). Desafios da educacao em um país nascente (pp. 25-35). Rio de Janeiro: Revista Fundo Comunitário.
[19] Smole, K. C. S. (2000) Matemática na educacao infantil: A teoria das inteligências múltiplas na prática escolar. Porto Alegre: Artmed.
[20] Thurler, M. G. (2001). Inovar no interior da escola. Porto Alegre: Artmed.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.