TEACHER TRAINING IN UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: ECHOES OF A MODEL OF TEACHER TRAINING IN A PORTUGUESE UNIVERSITY.

Abstract

This paper intends to present and reflect on the model of Advanced Teacher Training that began in a Portuguese university in the academic year of 2010/2011 in order to provide all interested teachers a contact with the great issues of pedagogy, the didactic, and pedagogical evaluation. Thus, we present the objectives of the program, the participants (119 teachers from five different academic units), the skills to be developed, the contents, the modalities, the methodologies, the resources, duration and form of program evaluation. We also present quantitative and qualitative data related to program evaluation as well as some recommendations that emerged from there. The available data allow us to identify the strengths of the program, namely in the relational component (either among teachers or between teachers and trainers), in the strongly reflective component and encouraging the further development of skills in the future. They also allow us to understand where are the main challenges in program improvement, Namely in the field of suitability of the program to the participants, in the applicability of learning and approaching to the contents of the training. Briefly, we can say that, in general terms, the group of teachers who participated in this training program saw in this an opportunity for professional development, seeking to improve teaching.