International Journal of Advanced Engineering Research and Science (IJAERS) [Vol-6, Issue-8, Aug- 2019] https://dx.doi.org/10.22161/ijaers.68.20 ISSN: 2349-6495(P) | 2456-1908(O) www.ijaers.com Page | 160 Teacher Training and Pedagogical Assistance in Distance Education Ágata Laisa Laremberg Alves Cavalcanti 1 , Antonia Dalva França-Carvalho 2 1 Universidade Federal do Piauí, Centro de Ciências da Natureza, Campus de Floriano, Floriano – Piauí, Brasil agatalaysa@ufpi.edu.br 2 Universidade Federal do Piauí, Centro de Ciências da Educação, Campus Ministro Petrônio Portella, Teresina, Piauí, Brasil adalvac@uol.com.br Abstract — The present study aims to understand the teacher training and pedagogical assistance processes in distance education (EaD). The study is a bibliographic research based on some authors, the current legislation on the distance education, among others. We identified that the distance teacher training has legal protection, which legitimizes, organizes and operationalizes its action in Brazil. Through didactic-methodological mediation and the use of TIC, it is possible to overcome the distance in the time and space in which the distance formative processes take place. Furthermore, the knowledge acquisition is possible in the Virtual Learning Environment, when the tutor, as mediator of the learning process stimulates and challenges students to reflect and build their knowledge individually or collectively with their colleagues in this cyberspace training. Through the proposed reflections, the present study contributes to understanding the distance education for teacher training, besides the criticisms that this education model receives in the educational scenario. Keywords— Distance Education (EaD), Pedagogical assistance, Teacher training. I. INTRODUCTION The teacher training process is one of the topics that covers big discussions in the educational scenario, especially regarding the environment where it takes place. It is stated that the teacher formative processes are constituted in practice, in the daily actions. Therefore, "... the exercise of training teachers can lead to unveiling and reflecting on the possibilities and limitations of each perspective or trend, in the most different aspects of this formation” [1]. The different aspects that permeate the teacher training process cover the diversity in the teaching modalities, as presence, semi-presence and distance. Currently, we are experiencing a situation of big changes in the legislation that regulates teacher education in Brazil, mainly after the promulgation of the Law on the Guidelines and Bases of National Education [2]. Diverse "[...] Decrees, Opinions and Resolutions aim to regularize and finalize a stage of proposals for educational reform in the field of teacher training” [3]. As an example, [4] states in its Article 1, the definition of this teaching modality, “[...] in which the didactic-pedagogical mediation in the teaching and learning processes occurs with the use of means of communication and information technologies. The students and teachers develop educational activities in different places or times.” [4]. In the process of distance teaching, teachers and students are physically separated in space and/or time. This type of education requires the intense use of information and communication technologies, with or not present face-to-face moments [5]. In other words, although this does not require physical contact between teacher and student, it does not mean that they do not interact with each other, since the digital technologies overcome this contact. Thus, considering the process of teacher education, especially, the distance education, warm discussions have happened, on the one hand in defense of this training model, but on the other, it is target of various criticisms. [6] point out that since the 1990s, the advancement of digital technologies and the spread of the Internet allowed the distance education process to gain a greater accessibility to information in solving problems related to the democratization of education, both in initial and continuing education of professionals from different areas. The growing demand for distance undergraduate courses highlights the importance to turn our attention to this theme. Distance teacher training happens through the