Initial Training in Performing Arts: Internationalization between UEMS-Brazil and UPN-Colombia

Abstract

This qualitative study aims to explore teacher training within the process of internationalization between the undergraduate programs in Performing Arts at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul (UEMS-Brazil) and the National Pedagogical University (UPN-Colombia). As part of a postdoctoral project, it highlights the importance of academic cooperation for the development of innovative pedagogical and curricular practices, particularly in artistic education within Latin American contexts. The applied methodology is a case study (Yin, 2001), utilizing multiple sources of evidence, including document analysis, interviews, direct and participant observation, and physical artifacts from the institutions. This approach allowed for a detailed analysis of pedagogical and curricular practices at UPN, focusing on the Theatre undergraduate program, which features a holistic and interdisciplinary curricular structure, encompassing disciplinary, pedagogical, and investigative training components (Silva, 2010; Barbosa, 2010). The results underscore the relevance of interdisciplinary and practical training for undergraduates, especially within the context of supervised internships, which follow an alternating model, combining theory and practice in real educational settings, fostering reflective and critical teaching competencies (Moran, 2012; Plantamura, 2003). Additionally, exchange programs facilitated cultural and methodological exchanges that enriched pedagogical practice and strengthened research in the arts at UEMS, promoting a curriculum adapted to both local and global needs.