In-service training for early-grade school teachers to develop interdisciplinary projects

Abstract

Abstract This article reports the findings of a qualitative study that examined the continuing professional development of teachers engaged in designing an interdisciplinary project for the early elementary grades. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the participating teachers. Analysis of the interviews revealed that the project fostered collaborative professional development between subject-matter specialists and pedagogical coordinators and created conditions for professional learning attuned to the specific needs of both teachers and students within their actual school contexts. The development of the project contributed to greater teacher autonomy and more student-centered instructional practices, gradually displacing the traditional approaches that had previously dominated, while also promoting teachers' appropriation of interdisciplinary perspectives. At the same time, the findings underscore the need for further reflection on the meaningful internalization of interdisciplinary concepts and on the improvement of working conditions.