Case
Learning Experience Design
Effective Communication Skills
A program to respond the needs of rethinking pedagogical communication for teachers.
A learning experience for those dedicated to teaching and to helping people to learn.
In December 2020, we started working with the New Doctoral School. We were very excited! It was part of our goals for 2020 to deepen and broaden our work and our relations with the Universities.
We talked with Professor Patrícia Rosado Pinto, Pro-Rector of the New University of Lisbon and Coordinator of the NOVA Doctoral School, and it is through her words that we get to know more about this story.
Patrícia Rosado Pinto is Pro-Rector of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Coordinator of the NOVA Doctoral School. She also coordinates the Office of Professional Development for Teachers at this university, where she is responsible for offering pedagogical training to teachers and for producing pedagogical material to support educational activity.
She has a PhD in Education Sciences (Teacher Training) and, at the Faculty of Medical Sciences/NOVA Medical School (NMS), she has been Director of the Medical Education Office for more than twenty years. She has been involved in various national and international programmes for the Pedagogical Training of teachers and in the field of Continuing Medical Education, in consultancy activities, both in Europe and in Portuguese Speaking Countries.
His areas of interest and publication are "Medical Education and Teaching" and "Learning in Higher Education", particularly with regard to teacher training.
How did the desire to carry out this Programme arise?
"The idea arose following some requests from teachers. And this request did not focus exclusively on our Pedagogical Innovation group, it was extended to conversations with the Pedagogical Councils of the nine Organic Units of NOVA.
In fact, with the need to rethink pedagogical communication in these times of distance, communication has been a recurring theme in my contacts with lecturers. We all felt that it would be about time to evolve from emergency distance education to one where technologies could help, while garanteeing that communication with our students should also be rethought."
To what extent do you think this Program could be good for teachers?
"From my perspective, there are two major advantages: self-knowledge and self-confidence development on the one hand and, on the other hand, the feeling that other colleagues have the same issues and that training together can be very helpful.
As Pro-Rector for this area, I have my own agenda: to create, across the whole University, and regardless of the school of origin or the scientific area to which I belong, a space for reflection and professional development for teachers at NOVA".
What future possibilities do you envisage that might happen between the NOVA Doctoral School and Way Beyond?
"The relations between NOVA Doctoral School (NOVA Escola Doutoral - NED) and Way Beyond are not new and they happen for two types of reasons - the recognition, on my part, as the NED Coordinator, of Way Beyond's great formative competence but, above all, because I felt a strong syntony of Way Beyond with "my" way of seeing formation, the personal development of any professional, teaching or non-teaching."
What did the teachers tell us?
"This training was essential to understand some of the discursive vices common to the generality of trainers and, in particular, to understand which discursive dimensions I have to work on."
- Marco Freitas, Faculty of Social and Human Sciences
"The program was really worth attending - I gained concepts, techniques, ideas and confidence. I highly recommend it and I thank the trainers for their dedication and commitment."
- Teresa Santos Silva, Faculty of Science and Technology
"I think this program is very interesting for teachers at any level of education, including teachers in higher education. If we follow some basic rules learned in this course, we can significantly improve our ability to communicate, which will be reflected in a higher quality of our face to face and online classes."
- Margarida Castro Caldas, Faculty of Sciences and Technology
"Excellent program and highly recommended for anyone who wants to get out of the comfort zone and meet the challenges to further enhance her/his public speaking performance."
- José Almeida, National School of Public Health
What would you, the NED coordinator, like to say about the Program?
"I studied the program and recognized myself in it - solid frames of reference, concern for practice and training, feedback given by peers and trainers, creating a sense of group and mutual help. I want exactly the same in the NED courses.
The feedback I received from the participants was a confirmation of the importance of these goals and the sharing of what they are already doing after experiencing the training. I have received requests for more training.
It therefore seems to me, this is a Program that, although it has not designed for teachers, fits perfectly with what teachers need in this area."
And what else would you like to tell us?
"The Program was considered very useful by these first groups that participated. They are teachers who requested training in this area and, consequently, they are motivated people. This fact should not be taken lightly. Motivation in this target group, which I know well, is accompanied by a great demand. The fact that the evaluations have been very good leads me to conclude of the quality of the program and the Way Beyond trainers."
What we say
"I have worked for many years with some of the faculty members who have participated in the Program, so this is a very dear audience for me! Moreover, this is a Program that I like very much, precisely due to the communication theme and because it challenges each person to find the best communicator within themselves. It is spectacular to see the adherence of these teachers, the relationship they build with each other and with us, and the improvements they make to their way of communicating, throughout the Program."
- Joana Marques
"I really enjoy doing this Program. This is the first time in 6 years that we have done it with teachers. It was very enjoyable to work with these people, who took off their usual suits (PhD, Professors, Researchers, etc.) and have put on the apprentice suit and who, with a good dose of humility, took the time to learn and question what they already do. It was a very good experience."
- Angela Marçal
"It was a pleasure to see teachers recycling some knowledge they took for granted, as well as to watch how quickly they adhered to a very practical training model."
- Alice Medeiros