The results of the U. S Census provide evidence that our population is becoming more varied and that diversity is most salient in our schools. This demographic shift will continue to have a significant impact on the curriculum, students, teachers, and other aspects of education as we have historically known it. One of the most challenging aspect is that while our students are becoming more diverse, our teacher population is not. Eighty to ninety percent of the teaching population is White, heterosexual, middle class females, with little experiences with people from diverse backgrounds. (Lowenstein, 2009; Sleeter, 2001). The academic achievement gap continues to widen between culturally diverse students and their White peers. This disparity in achievement along demographic lines indicates a clear and present need to more fully prepare teachers on how to educate children of diverse backgrounds--a crucial component of developing a culturally responsive pedagogy. "As our society changes, so must our teacher education practices" (Lee, Summers, & Garza, 2009, p.1). This mixed method study was developed around the hypothesis that teaching cases and student-written postcard narratives using an empathetic identity (Wiseman, 1978) should be used in a literacy course to foster a culturally responsive literacy pedagogy. This study took place over one semester at a four year college, in a preservice education literacy course. Five teaching cases were written or modified to be aligned with this particular course’s content. I examined 20 preservice teachers (n=20) and a professor as they engaged in case-based instruction. Immediately following the teaching case discussion, the preservice teachers engaged in a writing exercise where they used an empathetic identity to imagine having the person in the teaching case’s experience (Wiseman, 1978).  This study employed a mixed method design. Interviews with the professor, a professor’s journal, a researcher reflective journal, a pre and post teaching case, nonparticipant observation notes, preservice teacher written narratives, and the statistically significant results from the CDAI (Henry, 1991) at the alpha .05 level demonstrated that teaching cases effectively influenced preservice teacher’s perceptions and insights leading to a culturally responsive literacy pedagogy. Three major conclusions were drawn from this study. First, the implementation of teaching cases that feature diversity and literacy issues made an impact on the professor of this literacy course. The professor found that using teaching cases motivated her students, fostered a deeper discussion of the weekly topics, and created more transfer power of important topics to the classroom discussion than reading scholarly articles. Secondly, teaching cases that feature diversity and literacy issues influenced many of the preservice teachers’ insights and perceptions related to a culturally responsive pedagogy. The contextualization and alignment with the course content made them powerful tools to motivate and foster an entrance for preservice teachers to engage into a critical inquiry about culturally responsive teaching practices. Finally, the third conclusion drawn from this study is that utilizing activities which allow preservice teachers to use an empathetic lens can be a very powerful experience that may lead to developing a culturally responsive literacy pedagogy.  Three recommendations to teacher education are suggested based on the conclusions drawn from the data. First, teacher education curriculum should include experiences that can foster a culturally responsive pedagogy. The use of teaching cases featuring diversity and literacy issues is strongly suggested, as well as cultivating experiences that allow the preservice teachers to use an empathetic identity. Secondly, these experiences should be viewed as valuable tools for professors in higher education, as the teaching population of higher education mirrors that of our teaching population (Lowenstien, 2009; Sleeter, 2001). During the case-based discussion the professor and preservice teachers can draw upon their shared knowledge of theoretical, cultural, cognitive, and experiential knowledge of teaching children from diverse backgrounds (Nordoff & Kleinfeld, 1992) as a conduit for a culturally responsive literacy pedagogy.  Finally, teacher education has a responsibility to the well-being of their preservice teachers when purposely creating cathartic experiences. Culminating discussions should be designed to balance these emotional experiences (Ellis, 1995; Shulman, 1992). Several areas were identified for future research, encompassing the implementation of teaching cases and preservice teacher curriculum.

Submitted by Aelson Maciera (aelsoncm@terra.com.br) on 2017-06-28T15:13:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLCCR.pdf: 3433597 bytes, checksum: f39be9ce6fd14c7f1ae9aa1e16732773 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-07-03T18:25:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLCCR.pdf: 3433597 bytes, checksum: f39be9ce6fd14c7f1ae9aa1e16732773 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ronildo Prado (ronisp@ufscar.br) on 2017-07-03T18:25:54Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLCCR.pdf: 3433597 bytes, checksum: f39be9ce6fd14c7f1ae9aa1e16732773 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-03T18:30:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseLCCR.pdf: 3433597 bytes, checksum: f39be9ce6fd14c7f1ae9aa1e16732773 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-04-25 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Teachers of students who have special educational needs often complain that, despite their previous training in special education area, it is hard for them to fit their student´s needs properly. Considering these teachers´ demands this study aims to investigate in what ways a continuous formation program, based on the production and analysis of teaching cases in a virtual learning environment / AVA, could foster learning, researching skills and professional development of special education teachers who work in multifunction classrooms. This program was developed according to the training needs of special education teachers who participated in a survey that took place in Maraba-PA from 2011 to 2014. The research was part of the National Network Study of multi-functional resources classrooms in Brazilian public schools (http://www.oneesp.ufscar.br/). This study has a qualitative approach based on the principles of collaborative action research in a social and historical perspective. The participants were twelve teachers of multifunctional resource classrooms and a coordinator of special education in Marabá-PA. The program has six modules and is 120 (one hundred twenty) hours long. It has been developed in a virtual learning environment and its method is based on the production and analysis of teaching cases which contents and themes belong to special education area. Results were organized in different axes, according to its themes, in order to: a) analyze the influence of collective reflection spaces in virtual learning environment on teaching skills of special education teacher b) investigate the effect of production and analysis of teaching cases on learning and professional development of teachers special education teachers, c) evaluate and validate the potential and limits of using teaching cases in a training program for teachers who teach students with special educational needs in multi-functional classrooms. The study comes to the conclusion that use of teaching cases, demanded theoretical and practical knowledge of teacher, who also had to get in touch with contents of legal documents. The creation and analysis of cases attended many training needs of teacher who have joined this research. The program could also improve their performance and teaching skills. In addition, it supports the inclusion of students with special educational needs in regular schools. Although the collaborative research has led to the arrangement of a course created and developed by teachers, this program has its own limits and doesn´t aim to fulfill every necessity of educator who work in special needs education field. / A necessidade de se incrementar processos de formação continuada de professores do atendimento educacional especializado/AEE tem se evidenciado pelas queixas frequentes desses profissionais, de que o trabalho pedagógico em salas de recursos multifuncionais/SRM tem exigências desafiadoras que, apesar de possuírem formação especializada em Educação Especial, expressam não conseguirem atender integralmente. Com base nesse contexto de demandas, este estudo foi desenvolvido com o objetivo de analisar quais as contribuições e limites que a análise e elaboração de casos de ensino propiciam à aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional de professoras do AEE num processo de formação continuada em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem/AVA, identificando como os casos de ensino funcionam como estratégia de pesquisa e formação eficaz. O estudo aqui descrito, implementou um programa de formação continuada baseado nas necessidades formativas de professoras do AEE participantes de um estudo anterior, realizado em Marabá-PA de 2012 a 2014, vinculada ao projeto: Estudo em Rede Nacional sobre as salas de recursos multifuncionais nas escolas comuns do Observatório Nacional de Educação Especial/ONEESP (http://www.oneesp.ufscar.br/). A presente pesquisa se fundamentou na abordagem qualitativa e pressupostos da pesquisa-ação-colaborativa numa perspectiva sócio histórica. Participaram da pesquisa doze professoras de SRM e uma gestora da Educação Especial do sistema municipal de ensino de Marabá-PA. O programa envolveu seis módulos, totalizando 120 (cento e vinte) horas, via educação a distância, no qual foi utilizado no processo formativo, o método de produção e análise de casos de ensino com temáticas e conteúdos da área de Educação Especial. Os resultados foram organizados em eixos temáticos de modo a analisar: a) as contribuições dos espaços coletivos de reflexão em ambiente virtual de aprendizagem sobre práticas de professoras do AEE, b) as contribuições das análises e produções de casos de ensino para a aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional das professoras e c) avaliação e validação social do programa de formação baseado no uso de casos de ensino: potenciais e limites para o desenvolvimento profissional de professoras do AEE. As evidências permitem concluir que o uso de casos de ensino, demandou que as professoras utilizassem conhecimentos teóricos, práticos e conteúdos de documentos legais. A produção e análise de casos atendeu a um conjunto de necessidades formativas desse grupo de professoras do AEE, com a possibilidade de subsidiar sua atuação qualificada, frente as múltiplas funções que lhes são atribuídas para apoiarem a inclusão escolar, contribuindo assim com sua aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional. É salutar destacar que o viés colaborativo da pesquisa, propiciou um espaço de formação organizado em formato de um curso, que tem seus limites, sem pretender resolver todas lacunas, ou todas as necessidades de formação continuada em Educação Especial.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:36:19Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VIVIANEPD_TESE.pdf: 1954656 bytes, checksum: caf0430958c7b77ed89919f33c2b1fb0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This study focuses on processes of learning and professional development experienced by elementary school teachers who have students with special educational needs in their classrooms. Cases and case methods can be used as methodological resource to articulate the continued training of teachers in an inclusive perspective. This research-intervention adopted a constructive-collaborative model for continued teachers formation. The main objective was to investigate the possible contributions of teaching cases, while investigative and formative strategies, for the processes of learning and professional development of teachers who work in the regular school. The data were collected by means of analytical activities, drafting collective discussion and teaching cases, having eight teachers as participants in a regular public school, located in the municipality of Natal/RN, Brasil. The theoretical reference covers the inclusive education, teaching learning, teachers professional development, the knowledge base for teaching and teaching cases as a resource for continued teachers formation in an inclusive perspective. The results indicated that teaching cases allowed description and analysis of educational practices developed by regular education teachers and adoption of reflective processes about situations reported and on their own pedagogical actuation, achieving indications of changes. It also indicates the contribution of cases for the clarification, systematization and extension of professional knowledge about inclusive education process as well as for involvement by the teachers of the study in a pedagogical thinking process. The lessons learned are related mainly to own role as teachers of regular education, to the role of professional support and specialized institutions faced to school inclusion. The analyses showed the methodological option was suitable to develop a schoolcentric training process, allowing teachers to seek in their actual environment alternatives for construction of a new logic of teaching that encloses diversity. The conclusion is that the cases, while bringing educational situations closer to the reality experienced by teachers in their daily professional role, causes relevant improvement on teachers education, because it offers training in conjunction with the experience and knowledge that teachers already have / Este estudo focaliza os processos de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional vividos por professoras do Ensino Fundamental que t?m alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em suas salas de aula. Nesse sentido, aposta nos casos de ensino e m?todo de casos enquanto recurso metodol?gico capaz de articular a forma??o continuada de professores em uma perspectiva inclusiva. Nesta pesquisa-interven??o, foi adotado o modelo construtivocolaborativo para a forma??o continuada de professores, que teve como principal objetivo investigar as poss?veis contribui??es dos casos de ensino, enquanto estrat?gia formativa e investigativa, para os processos de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional de docentes que atuam na escola regular. Os dados foram coletados por meio de atividades de an?lise, elabora??o e discuss?o coletiva de casos de ensino, tendo como participantes oito professoras de uma escola p?blica regular, localizada no munic?pio de Natal/RN. O referencial te?rico abarca a educa??o inclusiva, a aprendizagem da doc?ncia, o desenvolvimento profissional de professores, a base de conhecimento para o ensino e os casos de ensino como recurso para a forma??o continuada de professores em uma perspectiva inclusiva. Os resultados indicaram que os casos de ensino oportunizaram a descri??o e a an?lise de pr?ticas pedag?gicas desenvolvidas pelas professoras do ensino regular e o estabelecimento de processos reflexivos sobre as situa??es relatadas e sobre o seu pr?prio fazer pedag?gico com ind?cios de mudan?as. Apontaram tamb?m, a contribui??o dos casos de ensino para a explicita??o, sistematiza??o e amplia??o dos conhecimentos profissionais acerca do processo educacional inclusivo, bem como para o envolvimento pelas professoras do estudo em um processo de racioc?nio pedag?gico. As aprendizagens evidenciadas dizem respeito, principalmente, ao pr?prio papel enquanto professoras do ensino regular, ao papel do profissional de apoio e das institui??es especializadas frente ? inclus?o escolar. As an?lises demonstram que a op??o metodol?gica se mostrou bastante adequada ao desenvolvimento de um processo de forma??o centrado na escola, permitindo que os professores busquem, em sua realidade, alternativas visando ? constru??o de uma nova l?gica de ensino que acolha a diversidade. Conclui-se, portanto, que os casos, ao trazerem situa??es de ensino pr?ximas ?quelas vivenciadas pelos professores em seu cotidiano profissional, desempenham fun??o primordial nos processos de aprendizagem docente, uma vez que permitem tomar a forma??o em articula??o com as experi?ncias e os conhecimentos que os docentes j? possuem

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:36:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 VivianePD_TESE.pdf: 1954854 bytes, checksum: 511721b297d1e1ce6de0e53572d869ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-02-22 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This study focuses on processes of learning and professional development experienced by elementary school teachers who have students with special educational needs in their classrooms. Cases and case methods can be used as methodological resource to articulate the continued training of teachers in an inclusive perspective. This research-intervention adopted a constructive-collaborative model for continued teachers formation. The main objective was to investigate the possible contributions of teaching cases, while investigative and formative strategies, for the processes of learning and professional development of teachers who work in the regular school. The data were collected by means of analytical activities, drafting collective discussion and teaching cases, having eight teachers as participants in a regular public school, located in the municipality of Natal/RN, Brasil. The theoretical reference covers the inclusive education, teaching learning, teachers professional development, the knowledge base for teaching and teaching cases as a resource for continued teachers formation in an inclusive perspective. The results indicated that teaching cases allowed description and analysis of educational practices developed by regular education teachers and adoption of reflective processes about situations reported and on their own pedagogical actuation, achieving indications of changes. It also indicates the contribution of cases for the clarification, systematization and extension of professional knowledge about inclusive education process as well as for involvement by the teachers of the study in a pedagogical thinking process. The lessons learned are related mainly to own role as teachers of regular education, to the role of professional support and specialized institutions faced to school inclusion. The analyses showed the methodological option was suitable to develop a schoolcentric training process, allowing teachers to seek in their actual environment alternatives for construction of a new logic of teaching that encloses diversity. The conclusion is that the cases, while bringing educational situations closer to the reality experienced by teachers in their daily professional role, causes relevant improvement on teachers education, because it offers training in conjunction with the experience and knowledge that teachers already have / Este estudo focaliza os processos de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional vividos por professoras do Ensino Fundamental que t?m alunos com necessidades educacionais especiais em suas salas de aula. Nesse sentido, aposta nos casos de ensino e m?todo de casos enquanto recurso metodol?gico capaz de articular a forma??o continuada de professores em uma perspectiva inclusiva. Nesta pesquisa-interven??o, foi adotado o modelo construtivocolaborativo para a forma??o continuada de professores, que teve como principal objetivo investigar as poss?veis contribui??es dos casos de ensino, enquanto estrat?gia formativa e investigativa, para os processos de aprendizagem e desenvolvimento profissional de docentes que atuam na escola regular. Os dados foram coletados por meio de atividades de an?lise, elabora??o e discuss?o coletiva de casos de ensino, tendo como participantes oito professoras de uma escola p?blica regular, localizada no munic?pio de Natal/RN. O referencial te?rico abarca a educa??o inclusiva, a aprendizagem da doc?ncia, o desenvolvimento profissional de professores, a base de conhecimento para o ensino e os casos de ensino como recurso para a forma??o continuada de professores em uma perspectiva inclusiva. Os resultados indicaram que os casos de ensino oportunizaram a descri??o e a an?lise de pr?ticas pedag?gicas desenvolvidas pelas professoras do ensino regular e o estabelecimento de processos reflexivos sobre as situa??es relatadas e sobre o seu pr?prio fazer pedag?gico com ind?cios de mudan?as. Apontaram tamb?m, a contribui??o dos casos de ensino para a explicita??o, sistematiza??o e amplia??o dos conhecimentos profissionais acerca do processo educacional inclusivo, bem como para o envolvimento pelas professoras do estudo em um processo de racioc?nio pedag?gico. As aprendizagens evidenciadas dizem respeito, principalmente, ao pr?prio papel enquanto professoras do ensino regular, ao papel do profissional de apoio e das institui??es especializadas frente ? inclus?o escolar. As an?lises demonstram que a op??o metodol?gica se mostrou bastante adequada ao desenvolvimento de um processo de forma??o centrado na escola, permitindo que os professores busquem, em sua realidade, alternativas visando ? constru??o de uma nova l?gica de ensino que acolha a diversidade. Conclui-se, portanto, que os casos, ao trazerem situa??es de ensino pr?ximas ?quelas vivenciadas pelos professores em seu cotidiano profissional, desempenham fun??o primordial nos processos de aprendizagem docente, uma vez que permitem tomar a forma??o em articula??o com as experi?ncias e os conhecimentos que os docentes j? possuem