(2019.pdf) CHOREOGRAPHIES OF TEACHING IN ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION: ANALYZING THE PRACTICE IN HIGHER EDUCATION

摘要

This paper aims at analyzing the practice of Distance Education (DE) online in higher educationusing the metaphor of Choreography of Teaching. DE in Brazil has achieved great repercussionsin the supplying of courses as well as in scientific research on the subject. Thus, various models oforganization and management of this type of education are noted. This diversity of models isdiscussed, especially the online education model (Smith, 2003; 2012), articulated with themetaphor of Choreography of Teaching (Zabalza, 2005; Oser, Baeriswyl, 2001). Supported by thistheoretical assumption, the teaching-learning process conducted online is seen (Anastasiou,Alves, 2006) (Padilha et al, 2010) as a choreography with steps planned and executed so thatteachers and students fully experience it. Different aspects of this choreography are considered:the anticipation of the dancing steps, the scenario where the 'dance' takes place, the 'staging ofthe dance', the dance itself, and the review of the final product of this choreography. In thisanalogy, teachers are the choreographers of the learning environment of their students. Theyorganize dances (learning strategies) that once 'put into play' guide the learning process ofstudents (Zabalza, 2006). This organization is defined as visible and invisible stages regarding theactions of teachers and students and may take place in face to face or virtual spaces. This studyanalyzed the choreography that higher education teachers organize in online distance educationenvironments. A virtual ethnography (Hine, 2004) was performed on the steps referring especiallyto teachers. This methodology permitted to understand the interaction between teachers andstudents in a virtual learning environment (scenario) through the observation of their interventionsand mediations (dance steps) and the product of the students' learning. Text Discourse Analysiswas conducted which offered ample theoretical and methodological freedom for the furtherdeepening of the research. The analysis led to the identification of analytical categories defined apriori: teaching strategies, types of mediation, educational and technological resources. It wasnoted that there is not much diversity in the teaching strategies put into play in the virtual learningenvironment (scenario) by teachers. Regarding the ways in which the teacher-choreographerguides and adjusts the footsteps of students, it was found that the mediations can be made tokeep students in the proposed objective as well as to encourage student autonomy in the pursuitof new dance steps. With respect to educational and technological resources, it was noted that fewteachers expand and enhance the pedagogical space by offering resources that are outside theenvironment. It was perceived that many teachers working in online DE are still restricted to faceto face classroom strategies and DE models prior to the model online. In online education thepossibilities of using Web 2.0 resources are immense, consequently, the strategies can also bediversified, expanding the students' choreography. It is concluded that the mediations conducted inthe virtual environment, with choreography limited to this environment, result in mediations aimedat the interaction between students, but are still highly restricted to the content provided by theteacher, which does not allow students broader autonomy.