“To speak of Teacher Authorship is, first and foremost, to recognize a fundamental dimension of the work of teachers that does not always receive the attention it deserves: that teaching is also producing knowledge,” said Patricia Maria Kauark Leite, director of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IEAT) at UFMG, at the opening of the Teacher Authorship Seminar, promoted by the Fundep Magda Soares Chair of Basic Education at the Institute. The event took place from 9 am to 6 pm yesterday, October 1st, in the Rectorate Auditorium.

According to her, in academia, when thinking about authorship, it’s common to think about who writes a book, publishes an article, formulates a theory, or produces a work that can be identified and recognized as their own. The university, by its very structure, has developed very clear and efficient mechanisms for recognizing these forms of authorship. But there are other forms of knowledge production that are not always equally visible, although they are fundamental to society. Among them is the knowledge produced daily by teachers in the classroom, in their relationship with students, in the development of pedagogical strategies, in the interpretation of contexts, in the invention of new practices, in reflection on what works and on what needs to be transformed. “It is precisely this authorship that the Magda Soares chair proposes to place at the center of today’s discussion,” she explained.

Also present at the opening ceremony were the Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Studies at UFMG, Sueli Maria Coelho, representing the Rector, Alessandro Moreira; the Director of the University and Basic Education Directorate (DUEB), Roberta Côrrea ; and the Chair Coordinator, Júlio Emílio Diniz-Pereira. The Seminar also served as an opportunity to honor professors on their day in October.

“A seminar dedicated to teaching finds its greatest meaning precisely in the presence of those who make teaching an essential part of their professional lives and of the university’s mission itself,” said the Vice-Rector for Undergraduate Studies. She also said that the event was a significant opportunity to honor the memory and career of Magda Soares, professor emerita at UFMG and one of the most important Brazilian figures in the field of education.

Júlio Emílio said that the Seminar was a way to celebrate Teachers’ Day and that he hopes “the idea will remain in the coming years.” Roberta Côrrea spoke about the intense work of the Chair, the creation of DUEB, and the strengthening of relations between the University and basic education schools.

Lecture

“Even today, the classroom is the heart of teacher authorship in schools, right ? It is through the classroom that we recognize ourselves as teachers, ” said Luciano Mendes de Faria Filho, in the lecture he gave in the morning on the theme of Teaching, Authorship and Recognition . The moderator was Adriana Cardoso Monteiro, director of the Professor Affonso Neves State School.

Among other topics, in his presentation, he spoke about the crisis of authorship, especially due to political issues, discussed the concept of authorship, spoke of the classroom as the “heart of teacher authorship in school,” the lack of recognition of authorship, and also that, even with the difficulties, authorship persists.

The lecture was recorded and is available at this link .

Roundtable discussion and book launch

In the afternoon, the seminar featured a roundtable discussion on “Teachers and their individual and collective authorial practices,” with the participation of Maria Carolina Caldeira, from the Pedagogical Center of UFMG; Andréa Pavão, from the Institute of Education of the Federal Fluminense University (UFF); and Vanessa Macedo, from the Brazilian Journal of Basic Education .

The aim of the panel was to broaden the discussion on authorship in teaching work, considering different experiences and forms of knowledge production and pedagogical practices.

Closing the program, there was the launch of the books Conferences – In Minas Gerais and in the Gerais region and A new time for teacher training: common spaces between universities and schools , followed by the virtual lecture Teachers: authors of training , with António Nóvoa , holder of the Fundep Magda Soares Chair of Basic Education from 2024 to 2025.

The afternoon’s program was recorded and can be accessed on IEAT’s YouTube channel .