Teaching and research have at times been discussed in academic circles as components of the functions of the university, together with extension. Therefore, although it is not a new concern, the connection between teaching and research has been treated with the presence of the connective “and”, as Paulo Freire would say. This means that teaching and research exist in parallel or are superimposed
It is common to find in the speech of university professors, and even in the literature, different arguments to justify the need for research as a contribution to teaching. Amongst the reasons that justify the association of teaching and research, some are based on merited arguments, others on merely bureaucratic grounds.
In the context of the referential bases that suggest that research can “illustrate” what the professor presents in their lesson, or be a way to practice theory, it is possible to find expressions like: “it’s important that the students do research to corroborate what we are teaching”; “only by researching can students learn how to use research methods”; and furthermore, “by doing research, the students can apply the theory we are teaching”.
Amongst the arguments of a bureaucratic order we find references such as “research is a contractual demand of university professors”, and also, comments such as: “the post-graduate professor must do research, after all, it’s a demand of the criteria of Post-Graduate evaluation”.
The relationship teaching/research, however, implies different practices and different ways of understanding.
Paulo Freire’s understanding of teaching/research, which has been implemented at the Paulo Freire Cathedra, presents a justification that is consistent with his understanding of “gnosiological cycle”. This means that teaching, because it brings about the production of knowledge, has a rigorous methodological demand that it passes from naïve understanding to “epistemological curiosity”.
Source: extract from and article by Ana Maria Saul, published in its entirety in the journal, Revista Reflexão e Ação, Santa Cruz do Sul, v. 25, n. 2, p. 119-133, Maio./Ago. 2017.
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