Fundamentals and practices of teaching assistantship in philosophy at the State University of Bahia:

Report and analysis of the experience.

Abstract

In this article, we briefly present the legal foundations of teaching assistantship practices in Brazilian higher education institutions, emphasizing the State University of Bahia (UNEB); we list some theoretical frameworks that describe the objectives of assistantship, its context, and its positive and negative aspects. Next, there is a more subjective text following a qualitative methodology, guided by an experience report. We systematized comments on the teaching assistantship experience in the Philosophy of Language component, offered in the Philosophy teaching degree at UNEB during the second semester of 2025, by the student-assistant under the supervision of the lead professor. The report outlines the activities taught, the contents, and other considered aspects, such as the use of active methodologies and the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) teaching tool—including the results of the interpretation procedure of a questionnaire, developed in partnership between the assistant and the supervising professor, aimed at assessing students' perception of the course. Throughout the report, analytical considerations are made, articulating the classroom experience with intuitions and perceptions arising from assistantship practices. We compare these perceptions to the main success expectations of pedagogical assistantship as idealized. The guiding question is: How does the philosophy assistantship at UNEB contribute to student formation? With this, we aim to contrast aspects of the experience with philosophical reflections. We identified, in texts on philosophy teaching, philosophy teaching methodology, and philosophy of education, support points that provide the necessary conditions to think and deepen student formation and, as far as possible, expand the discussion of assistantship within the institution. The procedures maintained attention to the specificities of the evening philosophy degree program, the contributions and the role of the assistant toward peers, faculty, and the production of academic and professional knowledge amidst the delicate moment the country is facing in the field of teacher training.