Educação ambiental utilizando a temática recursos hídricos para sensibilizar professores do ensino básico

Abstract

This work performed through both quantitative and qualitative approaches, using the methodological principles of action research. It has as objective to draw the attention of basic education teachers as far as the Hydric Resources (HR) are concerned, as well as to the importance of the insertion of Environmental Education (EE) in pedagogical practices. In order to attain this objective, a course, called “Environmental Education emphasizing Water Resources”, was offered to teachers from 6th to 9th grades from Parana’s public schools. The course, which lasted 16 weeks, performed both in three in-person meetings and through the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Moodle 2.5 platform. Texts, papers, videos and articles were available for the teachers in VLE. Forums about the studied themes also carried, so that participants could interact and exchange experiences. Data obtained through the analysis from the questionnaires answered by the attenders during both the in- person meetings and in VLE, and through attender’s reports during the course, VLE’s activities and Environment Action Projects (EAP) developed by teacher groups in schools. First, a diagnosis about the 82 attender’s environmental knowledge and perception was perform were. Some of the questions from this first data gathering guided the course’s following steps. The participants considered the Moodle platform easy to work with. More than that, they considered the materials published in the libraries enriching the tutor’s help adequate. The tasks considered well elaborated and important in aiding the comprehension of the proposed themes. Considering all offered resources, the videos received considerable attention, since they obtained several views and use were by the teachers in the classroom. As far as the forums are concerned, opinions diverged. Some considered the exchange of experiences very helpful, while others considered it not helpful or proposed other approaches. The course attenders also suggested that a higher number of in-person meetings would improve the quality of the course. Besides containing interesting talks, they favor the exchange of experiences and a better understanding of the themes in focus, since there is real time interaction. Finally, the course was finished with 17 EAP, which performed by participant teachers in schools. These EAPs involved the school environment and its surroundings, promoting improvements for the community. It is possible to conclude from this research that updating courses, as well as continuous formation courses, can act as an alternative to reduce existing gaps in teacher’s education and encourage them to work with Environmental Education and its pedagogical practices.