Exploring the concept of innovation in education: perspectives from a biographical research

Abstract

 This paper is part of an ongoing PhD research, which aims to investigate how science teachers deal with the demand for innovation in education, considering the contemporary context based on the theoretical contributions of Zygmunt Bauman and Stuart Hall. The study adopts a biographical research approach, involving teachers who are somehow related to the demand for innovation in education. In this excerpt, the authors share part of the discussions carried out in the thesis, addressing the meanings of innovation in education from the life stories of teachers recognized as innovative (by their peers and/or school community) and a relevant bibliographical review on the subject.. Innovation in education is a frequent demand for educators, however, the expression

"innovation in education" is polysemous and does not have an easy definition. While in the business environment innovation is associated with changes for the better, in the educational field it is still challenging to understand its meanings, which also implies understanding the role of the school in contemporary society. The article discusses the historical evolution of education, from the Middle Ages to the present day, emphasizing that today’s society is characterized by uncertainties, unpredictability and fragmentation, as described by Bauman. Given this context, the school faces challenges in preparing children for an adult world with which not even adults themselves are capable of fully understanding. The research proposes to understand how teachers recognized as innovators deal with the pressure to innovate in education, considering that this constant desire for innovation can generate discomfort. We interviewed three teachers (Amanda, Beatriz, Carolina), seeking to understand the meanings attributed to innovation in education.