Changes in the Classroom: Accomplishments and Obstacles of an Innovative Proposal in the View of Teachers

Abstract

In 1999, the Judaic Education Council of Rio de Janeiro implemented the Educational Innovation Program (EIP) in the Israeli schools of that city so as to meet the new trends in Brazilian education. The present work was designed to evaluate the modifications taking place in the school environment as a result of EIP implementation, a program whose core idea is to work on knowledge building from the Piagetian perspective, active learning in Dewey’s conception, and multiple intelligences as presented by Gardner. In order to assess the chosen program, we used a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews with the participants and observation of classrooms from the first to the fifth grade of elementary school. The results of our study showed that from the implementation of the program, the professionals involved were more motivated to search for information and update their knowledge so as to meet the differences between students, using a diversity of strategies and dynamic activities which led to encouraging student autonomy as regards their learning. The reported difficulties for the work to proceed were mainly about the schoolwork timetable planned for both the project and the subjects, and teachers having to cover an extensive curriculum, common to other Brazilian schools. In every innovative program, it is important for the professionals involved in it to continually re-evaluate its development, searching for changes or alternatives as difficulties are encountered. The aim of the present paper is to report the main findings of this research, as well as indicate the strengths and precautions to take in educational innovation proposals whose primary focus is classroom innovation.