‎Brazil News

The initiative is part of the implementation of the National Literacy Policy, and aims to raise the quality of education in Brazil and to value Brazilian teachers.

 

The online course material is produced by Portuguese specialists and is divided into two parts. The first part of the content, “Science-Based Literacy: ABC Course Manual”, which is theoretical, was prepared by the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, University of Porto, in Portugal. The document consists of 23 chapters that present theoretical knowledge for teaching reading and writing.

 

The second part of the material, “ABC in Practice: Building Foundations for Reading”, which is the practice, was produced by the Center for Research and Intervention in Reading, of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto. The product features intervention programs for children, with activities for students of 5 and 6 years of age, structured and adapted to Brazilian Portuguese.

 

Accessible material

With the material accessible on the internet, undergraduate students and Brazilian teachers who work with literacy, reading and writing will be able to count on high quality material, as explained by the secretary of Literacy at MEC and general coordinator of the ABC Course, Carlos Nadalim.

 

“Considering the context of the health crisis we are experiencing, we believe it is necessary and important to make these very rich materials, which form the basis for the ABC course, available to teachers and the general public as soon as possible. In this way, we seek to mitigate the impacts of the crisis on the learning of pre-school and early elementary school students, ”said Nadalim.

 

ABC Course

The ABC course, formulated in 2019, is the result of a partnership between the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Capes), the MEC Literacy Secretariat, the University of Porto, the Polytechnic Institute of Porto and the Open University of Portugal .

 

The course was created to qualify literacy teachers, based on scientific evidence, covering theoretical and practical aspects. Initially, the training would offer face-to-face activities and visits to Portuguese schools. But, with the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, the course was adapted to be online.

 

“Initially, the idea is that we would send 150 Brazilian teachers to Portugal so that we could then train several multipliers for the use of scientific evidence in our national policies. But, due to the restrictions imposed, the course was adapted for the online version ”, explained Victor Godoy, executive secretary of the Ministry of Education.

 

Since then, Universidade Aberta de Portugal started organizing the course in distance learning and producing subtitles in Brazilian Portuguese.

 

Learning Time

The ABC Course already has more than 173 thousand subscribers and more than 3 million accesses. The training, which has a 180-hour load, is part of the Tempo de Aprender Program, aimed at professionals working in children's literacy.

 

“One of the four axes of Tempo de Aprender is the continuous training of literacy professionals, which includes the Science Based Literacy course, ABC”, added Secretary Carlos Nadalim.

 

A recent survey on the ABC Course reveals that, of the 7,000 course participants who participated in the survey, 94% said they were very satisfied with the course and 89% considered the topics relevant.

 

World Education Day

The date for celebrating World Education Day was chosen after the World Education Forum, held in 2000, in the city of Dakar, Senegal. At the event, leaders from 164 countries, including Brazil, signed the Dakar Framework for action: education for all, a commitment to expand Basic Education worldwide.

 

As established by the Federal Constitution, education is a right for all and a duty of the State and the family, and must be promoted and encouraged with the collaboration of society, aiming at the full development of the person, preparation for the exercise of citizenship and the qualification for the work.