The Game of Teacher Education in Early Bird Project: moves, disputes and disruptions

Abstract

Assuming teacher education as a game played among agents in the educational field, this paper analyzes the case of Early Bird Project, which introduced the English language in primary public schools in the state of São Paulo/Brazil through a partnership between the Sã o Paulo State Secretary of Education and Dutch Institutions. Through the lens of the field concept developed by Pierre Bourdieu, and analyzing documentary and bibliographic data and also semi-structured interviews with teachers from the project, this paper focuses on the ramifications of the proposal’s teacher education of the project, highlighting elements that, together, put at stake the continuity of the game of teacher education and the role of university in this competitive space.