A formação de educadores de adultos implicados no reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais

Abstract

Resumo O texto trata do processo de formação de educadores de adultos responsáveis pela implementação do reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais em Portugal. As investigações realizadas neste domínio revelam que, de forma geral, esses educadores não têm uma formação de base específica, no âmbito da educação formal, que os prepare para o desempenho profissional do processo de reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais, contudo assumem funções que exigem o domínio de metodologias inovadoras e complexas. Deste modo, o texto, ao centrar-se no processo de formação dos educadores de adultos que trabalham no reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais de adultos pouco escolarizados, visa analisar o modo como eles aprenderam a desempenhar essa atividade profissional. A problematização e a reflexão, apresentadas no texto, são orientadas pelo pressuposto de que a formação é um processo amplo e difuso, que ocorre ao longo da vida, nos múltiplos espaços e tempos. A análise é resultado de uma investigação qualitativa, cujos dados empíricos são oriundos de entrevistas biográficas com educadores de adultos, responsáveis pela implementação do processo de reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais. Os dados empíricos recolhidos evidenciam que a formação dos educadores de adultos decorreu, essencialmente, da sua experiência profissional no âmbito deste processo. Os educadores de adultos aprenderam com os pares, no contexto de trabalho, através das dinâmicas dos próprios centros de educação de adultos, resultantes da missão, das metodologias utilizadas e da especificidade do processo de reconhecimento e validação de adquiridos experienciais. Deste modo, sua formação resultou do contato direto com a ação, da reflexão e da apropriação das experiências vividas no trabalho.

Adult Educators and Recognition of Prior Learning in Portugal: Guidance and Validation Tasks and Activities

“…It should also be noted that this level was highlighted in the analysed texts, especially as the technicians interviewed and observed were young adult educators with little professional experience, particularly in the field of adult education (Dias 2009;Pereira 2010;Barros 2011;Dias 2011) or, when they had some professional experience, it had been acquired in other professional areas, such as teaching (Pereira 2009) or vocational education and training, culture and community intervention (Paulos 2014). Professional development was being conducted by means of successive adjustments (Martins 2012).…”

“…In parallel, several studies focusing on the activities of adult educators in the workplace were collected. These studies were published in books (Loureiro 2009;Barros 2011), scientific journal papers (Cavaco 2007;Paulos 2014Paulos , 2015Guimarães and Barros 2015) and integrated master dissertations and doctoral thesis (Cavaco 2009;Dias 2009;Loureiro 2009;Pereira L. 2009;Pereira N. 2010;Dias 2011;Martins 2012). This discussion highlights the fact that certain tasks and activity clusters are particularly valued in the legislation and in what adult educators effectively accomplish in their day-to-day work, namely within the scope of validation and 1…”

“…Although it is not possible to find a designated adult educator professional category in Portugal and other countries, nowadays there is a broad consensus that the work in adult education requires specific knowledge and skills, as well as responsibility on the part of the technicians that intervene in this domain (Lattke and Jütte 2014;Paulos 2014Paulos , 2015Guimarães and Barros 2015;Egetenmeyer et al 2019). In addition to the references in many policy documents to the importance of the quality of adult educators' work (European Commission 2015, among others), a debate has emerged, mainly of a theoretical nature, around the professionalisation of these educators.…”

“…However, despite the existence of these degrees, weaknesses were still denoted in the social and academic recognition of adult education (Steiner 2014), reflected in the lack of an indication of the specific basic initial education required for recruitment. Thus, several authors (Cavaco 2007;Loureiro 2009;Barros 2011;Paulos 2014) reported in their studies that many of these recruited by centres promoting the recognition, validation and certification of competences since 2001, had basic training in a variety of areas, such as psychology, sociology, education sciences/education/ education and training and other fields, mainly of a social and educational nature. Therefore, many of these were not aware of the theoretical developments concerning adult education.…”

“…The debate around adult educators has since gained new contours. These discussions have highlighted, among other issues, the innovative education and training methods targeting adults and their learning through a reflection on their biographies, as well as the impact of such methods on the work of these technicians (Cavaco 2007(Cavaco , 2009; the influence of the European Union's lifelong learning guidelines on the activities carried out by adult educators (Guimarães and Barros 2015); as well as the knowledge and learning developed in the workplace (Loureiro 2009;Loureiro and Cristóvão 2010;Paulos 2014Paulos , 2015.…”