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The Teaching Specialization Program (Programa de Especialização Docente – PED Brasil) is a lato sensu postgraduate course in teaching mathematics or natural sciences (STEM) for elementary, middle and high school teachers. The program is an initiative of the Lemann Center for Educational Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Brazil. The Stanford University Graduate School of Education houses the Lemann Center, and the program is developed in partnership with Instituto Canoa, a Brazilian not-for-profit organization located in São Paulo. The program is offered by higher education institutions in partnership with departments of education in cities and states throughout Brazil.
THE PROGRAM
PED Brasil is a professional development program for school teachers working in elementary, middle and high school classrooms. It is the result of an intense collaboration between Brazilian higher education institutions and international research centers. Currently, it comprises a network of 22 universities across 15 Brazilian states.
CURRICULUM
The PED Brasil curriculum is composed of two highly integrated and connected dimensions: academic and clinical. These dimensions are articulated over ten courses and a mentoring program.
PED NETWORK
The PED Network is a community of instructors from higher education institutions certified to offer PED Brasil. This community collaboratively deepens PED implementation via a structure of network committees.
PROGRAM
NUMBERS
More than 60,000 students in Brazil have already benefited from innovative practices in the teaching of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, adopted by more than 600 teachers who have already graduated or are attending PED Brasil in many states. These educators had access to the program thanks to a partnership with an ever-expanding network of Brazilian universities. The PED Network currently boasts more than 460 faculty from 22 public and private institutions located in 17 states across the country.
Report for 2020
News on the implementation of PED
BEGINNING OF PED AT UNITAU
On August 5th, the PED cohort at the University of Taubaté (UNITAU) commenced the program’s classes. In UNITAU, PED is being offered as an area of inquiry and research within the institution’s Professional Master’s in Education.
This marks the first time that PED is been offered in this format, providing an opportunity for participating teachers to deepen their knowledge, conduct applied research, and develop projects relevant to teaching practice in the country, while also contributing to their career progression.
The program began with an Introductory course, followed by courses in Research Methodology in Education and Classroom Management and Organization. Participating teachers have reported that they are already implementing activities in their K-12 classrooms, demonstrating the practical effects of the reflections made during the master’s program.
The offering of the PED cohort at UNITAU was made possible through a partnership between the Instituto Canoa, BNDES, and FLUPP, which enabled the provision of 35 full scholarships for public school mathematics teachers in the Vale do Paraíba region, in the state of São Paulo.
Completion of PED Classes in UECE and UVA-Sobral
On June 30th, the participating teachers from the State University of Ceará (UECE) and the State University of Vale do Acaraú (UVA-Sobral) submitted their final projects for the Teaching Specialization Program in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PED Brasil).
The specialization, which took place over the last two years at both higher education institutions, received significant support from important partners for the course’s implementation. This included the Municipal Department of Education of Fortaleza for UECE, and the Municipal Department of Education of Sobral and the Cearense Foundation for Support to Scientific and Technological Development (FUNCAP) for UVA-Sobral.
We congratulate the 2 cohorts of math teachers (one at UECE and one at UVA-Sobral) and the science cohort (at UVA-Sobral) for completing the program!
PED Network Event: Equity Committee - Dialogues That Matter
The Equity Committee of the PED Network organized an event on June 13th to discuss Law No. 12,711/2012, which deals with affirmative actions in education.
At the meeting, we had a presentation by Professor Percila Almeida, a Pedagogue with a Master’s in Education, currently pursuing a Doctorate in Environmental Education. She is a member of the State Council of Education of Rio Grande do Sul and a faculty member at the State University of Rio Grande do Sul (UERGS). She has experience in discussing the topic of affirmative action within the university where she works .
After their participation, the meeting was followed by a rich moment for group discussions with the exchange of experiences between k-12 teachers and faculty members from universities within the PED Network.
The event was the first in the PED Network’s “Dialogues that Matter” series of meetings, with the aim of creating a space to discuss relevant issues related to systemic inequalities that cross and are crossed by the educational context.
Federal University of Southern Bahia
The Federal University of Southern Bahia (UFSB) started the first class of the PED program offered by the institution on April 27, 2023. The program is being offered by the Institute of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences – IHAC, located at the Sosígenes Costa Campus in Porto Seguro, Bahia, with the support of the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES). The program cohort consists of 35 mathematics and science teachers from the state network in Bahia, as well as the municipal networks of Porto Seguro, Eunápolis, and Santa Cruz Cabrália. The introductory module of the course has already been completed, and in June, the module on Classroom Management and Organization will begin. The course is expected to conclude in December 2024.
University of São Paulo
On March 4th, 2023, the University of São Paulo (USP) began offering PED Brasil in the city of Piracicaba, São Paulo. The course is offered by the Institute of Advanced Studies at USP (IEA-USP) in partnership with the Caterpillar Foundation, and aims to provide continuing education for 120 mathematics teachers who teach in public schools in Piracicaba and the surrounding region. The program is supported by the State Departments of Education of Piracicaba, Limeira, Americana, and Capivari, as well as the Municipal Foundation of Education in Piracicaba (FUMEP), which is hosting the classes at its Industrial Technical College of Piracicaba (COTIP). The course takes place on Saturdays and involves the participation of professors from UNESP and collaborators from other institutions, in addition to the USP team. The specialisation classes will continue until December 2024.
