Teacher Profile: The Knowledge and the Identity Practices

Abstract

This study aimed at finding an articulation of educational perspectives from Portuguese physical education cooperating teachers at distinctive professional stages, according to teaching and mentoring experience. Two main topics superintend the query, which was intended to answer the objectives of teacher’s education programs and teachers’ role. Data for this study were collected from open-ended interviews from 30 participants (10 with short teaching experience; 10 with short mentoring experience; and 10 with long mentoring experience). The qualitative analysis consisted of coding the text attached to the two main topics. The coding process included the active search of themes and patterns emergent from cooperating teachers’ transcripts. Results reported by cooperating teaching group made apparent the influence of professional experience but also a general agreement about the teacher profile. The guidelines for teacher training programs in Portugal, such as the case of Physical Education, show event interrelationship’s perceptions in a real context, oriented by values inherent to the acquisition and transformation of new knowledge and development of educational skills. Conclusions supported that the teacher’s role is increasingly demanding, and thus his formation claims a pattern of increasing quality.