Sustentabilidade e escola: relações entre unidades de conservação e o ensino de ciências e biologia

Abstract

This is a study on the dialogue between Conservation Units (in Brazil, Ucs – Unidades de Conservação) with sciences and biology teaching strengthening the school education role regarding sustainable societies. We aimed to analyze the relation between sustainability, Conservation Units (UC), and schools, focusing on the content of the sciences and biology subjects. The specific objectives included: a) to identify sustainable practices occurring in public schools, mainly those promoted by sciences and biology teachers and based on the content of these school subjects; b) to systematize teachers’ and the UC manager’s understanding of the sustainability concept; c) to analyze how the theme sustainability is approached in textbooks (in Brazil, LD – livro didático) used in state schools in the municipality of Matinhos; d) to identify the Ucs contribution to sciences and biology teaching; and e) to discuss human interactions with natural environments as a learning space toward sustainability. Data was collected using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, both applied to teachers who worked in state public schools in the municipality of Matinhos/PR and the manager of the UC called Parque Estadual do Rio da Onça, and document analysis in sciences and biology LD. The Discursive Text Analysis was employed in the data analysis and interpretation, with elaboration of categories originated in the empirical field. Our main results revealed that sustainable practices and/or activities occurring in schools most of the time follow a pragmatic conception, aiming at a hegemonic environmental education based on a view that does not link environmental problems to the capitalist mode of production. Regarding both the interviewees and the LD and considering that the latter are insufficient in the debate about sustainability, we observed the prevalence of conventional concepts. Therefore, broader reflection upon sustainability is required, one that goes beyond the reductionist view of the concept. Lessons given in Ucs provide students with varied experiences, in addition to putting them in contact with the real environment, mainly when the UC is located near the school. We also observed some appreciation of the outings for field studies in different natural environments. However, we believe that if the natural environment is close to the school, more field classes might occur and the students’ interaction with these environments will be enriched. Taking that into consideration, we restate our thesis, that is, protected areas, mainly Ucs, are suitable environments for sciences and biology teaching in a perspective of the school as an education agent for sustainable societies. We also emphasize the importance of promoting the school, UC, and community triad since it enables the strengthening of the human/ nature relationship. Another aspect to be considered is the investment in hiring, via public test, qualified professionals to work with environmental education within Ucs and sciences and biology teachers. Investment in the physical structure of the public schools investigated is also required. This must be the type of structure built in a sustainable perspective and considering the different dimensions of sustainability.