Laboratory of Development and Evaluation of Transversal Skills - LaDETS: a pilot project in the Bachelor of Education of the University of Minho (Portugal)

Abstract

This paper presents the research project: Creation of a pedagogical laboratory (Laboratory of Development and Evaluation of Transversal Skills - LaDETS): a pilot project in the Bachelor of Education of the University of Minho. The University of Minho (UM) is an institution of Higher Education located in Braga (Portugal) and, from the diversity of areas that compose its curriculum, this study focuses on the Bachelor of Education. Established in 1991 and restructured in 2006 as a result of the need to adapt to the Bologna process, the Bachelor of Education does not aim to prepare students for teaching functions in the formal education system, but seeks to answer the needs of a wide and varied field of educational and training activities, in a dynamic of development and update of diverse and complex skills in the area of Lifelong Learning. Accordingly, the institutions with educational purposes - both in formal and non-formal contexts - and the social and cultural activities where the educational and training dimensions are crucial to the qualification and empowerment of people, stand out as potential spheres of work for those who graduate in Education. Therefore, the Education Professionals exert their activity inside and outside the education system and, increasingly, in emerging contexts, using various types of intervention, such as training, sociocultural animation and mediation. In this sense, the technical skills that students should develop along the Bachelor of Education are of a diverse nature. Nevertheless, the investment in the development of transversal skills (including communication, conflict management, teamwork, critical thinking, creativity, problem solving) are increasingly valued by employers in a logic of adaptability to new situations and it is in this context that this research and the creation of the LaDETS emerge as a complement to the Curricular Plan. The activities carried out in the LaDETS are supported by both constructivist paradigm and experiential learning theories and are based on active methodologies such as Problem-Based Learning and simulation environments. The purpose is to confront the students of the Bachelor of Education with problems based on real contexts and situations, in order to enhance their awareness of the transversal skills they already have and promote the development of others, in a setting where those same skills can be evaluated. Hence, the intention is to contribute, on one hand, to bring students closer to the reality of the labor market, their constraints and requirements and, on the other hand, to design a framework of evaluation in this field, pointing towards pedagogical innovation in Education in Higher Education. Regarding the methodology, the project is based on an action-research approach. This article aims to present the study, making a brief reference to the state of the art, the methodological choices that were made and the different stages of the research, ending with a brief reflection on the expectations in terms of results. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n22p149