Quando engenheiros tornam-se professores: trajetórias formativas de docentes do curso de Engenharia Elétrica (IFPB/João Pessoa)

Abstract

The creation of the Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (IFs) in 2008 and its expansion, resulted in the hiring of a large quantity of graduates with degrees in Engineering, among others, to teach in these institutions. It’s in this context of the Professional and Technological Education (PTE) expansion which originates the course of Electrical Engineering from IFPB/Campus João Pessoa. Considering that these teachers engineers did not have a pedagogical training in their initial course, our central question is: how these engineers became teachers? This study is questioning the trajectories of these academic and professional teachers. The research methodology is qualitative. We opted for the (auto) biographical method, due to the fact that the narratives of teachers life histories allow a reflection on themselves, the others and their context, in a education perspective. The first results of the investigation, with six teachers engineers of the course of Electrical Engineering from the IFPB/Campus João Pessoa, from their academic production in the Lattes Platform, showed us, as to the level of academic degrees, most had their doctorate in specific areas and good intellectual production. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and subjected to content analysis, which was distributed in categories: choose the engineering and academic experience; professional integration in teaching; formative experiences in the classroom; teacher professional development. The reports of respondents revealed that they chose teaching in a not planned way, prevailing contingencial aspects. Teachers recognize the lack of a pedagogical training, but have not invested in this type of training in the post-graduation, in a systematic way. In their classroom experiences, they use strategies to deal with stress and adversity, such as: have their teachers as a reference; invest more time in the preparation of classes; interact with more experienced peers; be aware to their students and their demands. Are seen both as engineers and teachers and they show to be personally and professionally successfull, and none of them expressed dissatisfaction or the possibility to leave the profession. The construction of the teaching of these teachers was made by their disciplinary knowledge, the experiential knowledge of the classroom, interacting with students and colleagues. This study also points to the importance of further discussion about the professional development of teachers, specifically those graduating teachers from bachelor courses and that work in PTE, in the IFs and out of these.