University outreach as a space for Pedagogical Innovation in teacher education

Abstract

Initially, university outreach is conceived as a space for Pedagogical Innovation in initial teacher education. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to understand how outreach activities developed within the curricular component “Extension II – Cultural Spaces” of the Languages – Portuguese and Portuguese-Language Literatures program at a federal university in southern Brazil constitute practices of Pedagogical Innovation. To this end, a qualitative approach of a documentary and field-based nature was adopted, alongside content analysis, using the eight propositions of Pedagogical Innovation as analytical categories. Data were generated through the planning of outreach activities in collaboration with public schools and cultural spaces located in the municipality where the university is located, involving the analysis of official documents, the program’s pedagogical project, reports, an interview with a faculty member, and a focus group. The findings indicate that the curricular integration of university outreach, articulated with cultural spaces and schools, fosters student agency and the reconfiguration of knowledge, while also promoting more integrative, dialogical, and socially responsive curricula.