Professora de língua portuguesa em início de carreira: autonomia e adaptação em atividades de ensino.

Abstract

Portuguese language teacher at the beginning of her career: autonomy and adaptation in teaching activities. This research aims to investigate the work of a teacher at the start of the career in the context of the Youth and Adult Education (YAE). The objects of research are the professional teaching activities revealed by means of an activity report and through Portuguese lessons held at the initial stage of teaching. Given that a teacher is capable of adapting to the working environment, acting all the way through the routines standardized by the school, and gradually changing such routines, developing more autonomous actions, this research specifically aims to (1) Identify evidences of adaptation and/or autonomy underlying my professional activities during my first year of work and (2) Analyze how such evidences are demonstrated in those activities. In order to understand how those professional actions take place, I have sought explanations concerning the concept of routinization and social positioning (GIDDENS, 2009) within the studies in social sciences; understanding that autonomy and/or adaptation are related to routines structured by society. Also in the theoretical chapter, I hold up the notion of language and education as social practices. In the attempt to anchor the term "autonomy", I use Contreras’ (2012) discussions as well as other researches in Apllied Linguistics (AL) that bring up this concept. The analysis also relied on studies of Language and Work, related to teaching (AMIGUES, 2004) and of Education, concerning the teaching planning (ZABALA, 1998). The corpus of this research consists of (1) an activity report that reconstructed the first educational experiences and (2) audio-recorded and transcribed classes from the second semester of work. The data were analyzed in conjunction, throughout the categories related to the selection of the objectives and contents as well as the selection and elaboration of materials. The results showed that the evidences of adaptation were demonstrated during teaching activities previously institutionalized in the school routine. Otherwise, in most cases, evidences of autonomy were expressed through professional choices conducted by the student’s involvement in the process.