PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES FOR OER: A CASE STUDY OF BRAZILIAN FUNDAMENTAL EDUCATION PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS

Abstract

K-12 public education in Brazil suffers from low investment in teacher training, which results in a lack of support for fostering pedagogical change through the use of digital technology resources for pedagogical use. The use of Open Educational Resources (OER) in the K-12 public education sector enables teachers to access to a wide variety of free sources and new ideas for planning and enhancing their lessons, and it affords them the possibility to improve their own knowledge and skills in information and communication technologies (ICTs). There has been little empirical research on teachers’ use of OER in K-12 public education in Brazil. This case study addresses that gap, exploring a set of evidence-based OER guidelines in the context of teacher professional development (TPD) for Brazilian fundamental education public school teachers through the development and delivery of a face-to-face OER professional development program (ODP). The study was conducted at one Brazilian fundamental education public school; quantitative data assessed the intentions of the participants of the study to adopt and use OER; qualitative data identified barriers and learning needs and assessed learning outcomes upon completion of the ODP. The findings of this study suggest that ongoing facilitator support and practical, step-by-step, hands-on TPD in OER can enhance teachers’ engagement and confidence with OER and that school administrations’ awareness and engagement is imperative to ensure their success. The study proposes a set of evidence-based OER guidelines for stakeholders who wish to promote the adoption and use of OER in the Brazilian public fundamental education system.