Algumas Concepções e Ações no Campo da Saúde, no Contexto da Faculdade de Formação de Professores da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ - São Gonçalo)

Abstract

This work aims mainly at showing the relationship between the definitions of health provided by seven student-teachers and the work they developed on that topic when studying Foundations of Natural Sciences II (Fundamentos das Ciências da Natureza II) in the Pedagogy Course of the Teacher Training Programme of the Rio de Janeiro State University, São Gonçalo campus. This course can be considered a programme of continuing education, given that the actual exercise of the teaching profession is a pre-requisite for admission. In a preliminary stage of the study, a questionnaire was administered to the student- teachers and a mismatch noticed between the answers given and the teaching knowledge displayed during the course. In order to investigate the possible reasons for this mismatch, the study made use of semi-structured interview. The development of field work provided evidence that the definitions of health adopted by the student-teachers were, at first, a mixture of bookish culture and common sense, based on the definition offered by the International Health Organization: health is physical, mental and social well-being, rather than the mere absence of illness or disease . Later, however, after engaging in reflection and interacting with the interviewer, the student-teachers tended to favour a more comprehensive understanding of health, based on the interface between health sciences and social sciences. It is worth highlighting that the rationale for this investigation is to identify the existing common aspects between teaching knowledge, the teachers personal as well as professional development and continuing education, within the context of health. Thus the analysis of the interviews made it possible to establish relationships between the student-teachers' personal histories and their teaching practice as source of knowledge.Finally, this work purports to contribute to a better understanding of the questions arising in relation to pedagogic practice in the subject of health, and it also seeks to encourage innovation based on critical participation as a way to foster reality change.