ABSTRACT Changing Teacher Education - A Competencies Benchmarking of Nurse Teachers

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1 ABSTRACT Changing Teacher Education - A Competencies Benchmarking of Nurse Teachers This paper is based on a book which focuses a research about the paradigm change in higher education and the emergence of new competencies for nurse teachers, resulting from the numerous changes that occur in higher education in Portugal, due to its inclusion in the European area. In nurse education those changes is a result from the reorganization of nursing schools and their relationships with professional contexts. The theoretical framework focuses on the teachers' professionalism which presupposes an ideal of public service, ethical, personal, professional awareness, guiding values for the professionality, understood as a set of competences comprising knowledge, attitudes and skills required for the professional performance (Estrela, 2001; Gewirtz et al. 2009). The main research issue is the following: Which view of nurse teachers about the changes that have occurred in nursing higher education? Which influence that such changes have on their conceptions of teaching and pedagogical practices? The objective is: to develop the consolidation of specific competencies for nurse teachers, at the level of pedagogic activity, research and dissemination of knowledge, founding a sense to innovation. The research is based on the interpretative paradigm with a qualitative methodology. It uses semi-structured in-depth interviews. The sample includes twenty nurse teachers from four higher educational state nursing colleges in Lisbon. The results show the development of a benchmarking based on nursing teacher s concepts on their professionalism, illustrating numerous pedagogical practices, which integrates four domains of competencies from nurse teachers: ethical; sociopedagogical; self-developmental and socio-organisational competencies

2 Methodology This research is based on an interpretative in which the methodological level is open and flexible, trying to articulate the conceptual framework and empirical data, to reach new conceptualizations. The main research issue is the following: Which view of nurse teachers about the changes that have occurred in nursing higher education? Which influence that such changes have on their conceptions of teaching and pedagogical practices? The research is based on a qualitative methodology. The sample includes twenty nurse teachers from four higher educational state nursing colleges in Lisbon. Data collection was taken by semi-structured interviews to twenty coordinator and assistant teachers, and by the observation of nurse teachers practice (four assistant teachers), from four higher educational state nursing colleges in Lisbon. Data analysis was based on Miles & Huberman (1991) interactive model. Afterwards we integrate an international project in FINE , redefining the results of the on-going research, where competencies in nursing education have also been redefined in a number of European countries. Conclusions The results allowed an integrating view on the data, leading to the proposal of a model for nursing teacher s professionalism and a proposal for competences benchmarking of nurse teachers. The results presented in this paper relate to the content analysis of semi-structured interviews which comprising the two groups of participants, the coordinator and assistant teachers. The results highlight a new teaching professionalism guided by professional values and show the emergence of new competencies thus required as a the field of: educational and information technologies; teamwork; project management; diversity of pedagogical methodologies; consultancy/advisory skills; development of transnational working relationships, linguistic and intercultural competencies. The benchmarking started of numerous discussions about nurse educators competencies in FINE Workshops ( ). It integrates four domains of competencies: - Ethical - Relates to values and professional ideals

3 - Socio-pedagogical - Relates to the performance of the teacher in training situations - Self-developmental - Relates to the performance of the teacher with regard to him/herself (ongoing training) - Socio-organisational - Relates to participation in one s surroundings (partnerships, net work) The research highlight a new way of thinking about teaching, regarding a change that leads to a professional model joining together concepts and practices that focus on problem solving, guided by professional values. In addition, the emergence of a teacher facilitating learning who is active in mentoring their students, who encourages the design of training and research projects, with a view to producing, disseminating knowledge and influencing policies of education and show clearly a transition of nurse education. Keywords Competencies benchmarking, nurse teachers professionalism; higher education changes. References Almeida, P. P. (2005). A sociologia do trabalho no dealbar do século XXI: das empresas industriais às organizações de serviço(s), in Sociologia, problemas e práticas (47) [Sociology of work, problems and practices in the beginning of XXI century: from the industrial enterprises to service organizations. In: Sociology, problems and practices], pp Altet, M. (2000). Análise das Práticas dos Professores e das Situações Pedagógicas [Analysis of Teachers' Practices and Pedagogical Situations]. Porto. Porto Editora. Australian Nurse Teachers Society (ANTS) (1998). Definition of a nurse teacher, in: Guy, J. (2000). Nurse Teacher Competency Standards. Benner, P. (2001). De iniciado a perito [From beginner to expert]. Coimbra: Quarteto Editora.

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