Miguel Angel Zabalza Beraza

Formación del profesorado universitario: mejorar a los docentes para mejorar la docencia

Taking as reference the commitment of the OECD: “Teachers Matters: attracting, developing and retaining effective teachers”, this article departs from three basic assumptions: teaching at Higher Education is a very complex activity; to achieving quality in Higher Education requires a very qualified teacher; becoming a qualified teacher requires good education. To combine the commitment to quality teaching with teacher training, the text proposes, first, the “importance of teachers” as a cornerstone in the development of quality teaching. The second section analyzes the evolution of the teacher role and its new requirements, including the challenge of the double professionalism, the teaching competencies, the institutional involvement and the openness to globalization and networking. Third, we analyze the processes of teacher education and some changes they need in this new route map: an education oriented to the practical development of processes and to the piagetian “accommodation” approach, allowing for responding to both the technical and the psychosocial demands of teachers, which is assumed as lifelong career development.

¿Hemos cambiado? La perspectiva de los profesores eméritos sobre el cambio educativo en la universidad

espanolEl presente trabajo forma parte de una investigacion mas amplia desarrollada en el marco de una convocatoria nacional de I+D2 en la que han participado varias universidades espanolas. Su objetivo principal fue recuperar el conocimiento experto del profesorado emerito, esto es, reconstruir el proceso personal y profesional seguido por profesores-as que han sido muy relevantes en el mundo de la docencia y de la investigacion. En este trabajo se presentan e interpretan las reflexiones que sobre los procesos de cambio, de reforma, de innovacion y/o de mejora educativa en la universidad, expresan 20 profesores emeritos de 13 universidades publicas espanolas. El acceso a la vision personal de los profesores emeritos se efectuo mediante la realizacion de una entrevista semi-estructurada. Los datos que resultan de sus respuestas han sido sometidos a un analisis de contenido del que se derivan muchas consideraciones, valoraciones y recomendaciones dignas de ser tomadas en consideracion para la comprension de las transformaciones acaecidas en la universidad a lo largo del amplio periodo que abarca su trayectoria profesional (1965-2015). EnglishThe present study is part of a broader investigation developed within the framework of a national R & D project in which several Spanish universities participated. Its main objective was to recover the expert knowledge of professors emeriti, that is to reconstruct the personal and professional processes followed by professors who have been very relevant in the world of teaching and research. This study presents and interprets the answers expressed by 20 professors emeriti from 13 Spanish public universities regarding the processes of change, reform, innovation and/or educational improvement which Spanish universities have undergone. Using semi-structured interviews, we try to access to the personal vision of professors emeriti. Their answers to the questions that we have raised were analyzed through content analysis. Many considerations, insights and recommendations, worthy of being taken into consideration, derive from this analysis. We will refer, in particular, to their beliefs and insights regarding the transformations that took place in Spanish universities throughout the period that covers the professional career of these professors emeriti (1965-2015).

Escribir en la Universidad

Writing in the University is a basic necessity and a long-range educational purpose. One of the basic characteristics of the university context is that it requires writing both as a tool of communication and as a source of intellectual stimulation. After establishing the basic features of academic writing, this article analyzes the role of writing for students (writing to learn) and for teachers (write to plan, to reflect, to document what has been done). The article also discusses the contributions of writing for both students and teachers together: writing to investigate. Finally, going beyond what writing is as academic tool, we conclude with a more playful and creative position: writing for pleasure and enjoyment.