A Monitoria como espaço de aprendizagem no Instituto Federal Catarinense – campus Sombrio

Abstract

This research investigated the monitoring activities developed at Instituto Federal Catarinense – Campus Sombrio, with seventy-five students (monitors) the first, second and third levels of the Agricultural Technical Course integrated to high school. Also participating in seventeen teachers responsible for monitoring in academic year 2010, with the primary objective of evaluating the effectiveness of these monitoring activities. The methodology consisted of questionnaires containing open and closed questions. 51 questionnaires were administered to students in the beginning of the second semester and 17 questionnaires for teachers. Also two semi-structured interviews were conducted for high school coordinator as well as for the technical education coordinator. It was found that monitoring contributes for the learning of students involved, consisting in a space where the students can clarify doubts about the subjects of the disciplines that they study, enhancing students' understanding. In this sense, the students showed that they perceived change in the learning process itself. The importance of social interaction was highlighted by the good relationship between teachers, monitors and colleagues. The surveyed teachers indicated that monitoring contributes for the formation of a monitor student highlighting features of this training the student's posture on this new role they must play. These results indicate that the effectiveness of monitoring is related to the changes that cause in the students (monitors and participants), promoting the development of these mental processes and by the improvement in interpersonal relations (very important, in the case of that students that are residents at the school). Monitoring also enables a downsizing of the classroom where collaborative learning, self-esteem and responsibility are some of the indicators present in the training of the monitor student.