Pedagogical practices and teacher autonomy in the context of elite bilingual education ^*

Abstract

In this article, some answers are suggested about how the autonomy of teachers in an elite bilingual context is perceived in their voices, through analyzes of what they say about their pedagogical practices. The problem that gave rise to the research fell on the varied higher education of teachers who were not trained to work with levels of early childhood education and early grades; in some cases, they did not even have a licentiate degree. This “space” between initial training and pedagogical practices shed light on issues concerning teacher autonomy. The methodological approach was recommended by qualitative research, using a written questionnaire and a discussion group as instruments for data generation. The reflections were based on the following authors: García (2009), Benson (1997), Benson and Huang (2008), Cunha (2007), Pesce (2012), Tardif (2002) and Megale (2020). We understand that, although teachers do not recognize autonomy in their practices, nor use this word in their speeches, it is through the choices they make to mobilize the teaching and learning process that they exercise their protagonism and empower themselves in the exercise of the profession. It is concluded that what evidences their autonomy seems to be the decisions they make to adapt their practices to what the management of school expects, to what the Guidance Manuals indicate, and to what the teacher’s book predicts, while looking for a practice that proves to be effective, even in the absence of the control imposed by the institution.

Pedagogical practices; Teacher autonomy; Elite bilingual education; Teacher work and training