Educação ambiental no ensino fundamental: o projeto parque - escola na Floresta Estadual do Palmito - Paranaguá - PR

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to evaluate practical activities of Environmental Education and their effects, in the short run, on the involvement of Basic Education pupils in relation to environmental matters in natural areas. As the object of the study was adopted a project which was developed in partnership between the State Secretariat of Education and the Environmental Institute of Paraná, called School Parks, which aims at taking state school pupils to the Palm Heart Tree Forest, a Conservation Unit, to organize Environmental Education workshops ‘in loco’. The used method was to submit the participating pupils and teachers to questionnaires developed in the project, aiming at analyzing their present perception in relation to environmental matters before and after the development of environmental activities at the Unit. The intention is to understand whether the use of this project as a pilot project in other municipal schools is possible with the objective of awakening pupils and teachers to an ecological awareness. It was noted through this study that the ideal situation is, that Environmental Education practices together with activities ‘in loco’ in the environment, occur with a higher frequency and efficaciousness, through practices creating awareness, in order to awaken pupils to environmental responsibility. It was also concluded that the school-park Project can be a great instrument in awakening environmental awareness of pupils, making them develop environmental perception, mainly because of taking place in Conservation Units which have among their objectives Environmental Education practices. It is believed that it is possible to use this project as a pilot project to be administered in other municipal schools with the intention of awakening pupils to an ecological awareness and so integrating them in the environment.