PRÁTICAS PEDAGÓGICAS EM UMA ESCOLA INCLUSIVA

Abstract

Inclusive teaching practices were chosen as the theme of this investigation. The objective of this study was to understand, based on a cultural-historical perspective, teaching practices developed by teachers of students with special educational needs included in regular elementary education, verifying whether such practices do in fact enable schools to become inclusive. To this end, the specific objectives of this study were to identify whether legal framework-informed democratic practices were proposed in teaching planning; to describe how teachers organize their teaching planning, verifying whether it is done collectively and whether it takes into consideration the specific needs of students with special educational needs included in regular elementary education and to verify whether there is methodological diversification in the everyday practice of an inclusive female teacher. This is a qualitative-interpretative study using a participant research design. The theoretical basis of the study is the cultural-historical approach of Vygotsky and related authors. The research project was submitted to and approved by the Research Ethics Committee. The study was conducted in a school with a well-defined inclusive teaching proposal in the city of Guarapuava/PR. Data were collected by means of interviews and participant observation in a classroom which included some students with special needs. Interviews took place with a female supervisor, two female teachers who had students with special educational needs in their classes, as well as a conversation with the teacher who idealized the inclusive school teaching practice training project. Participant observation took place in a third grade class in which inclusive teaching practices carried out for and with children with special educational needs in a regular classroom were focused on by the researcher as she interacted in this learning environment. This class was chosen because the class teacher took part in an inclusive teacher training project run by the school, because there were children with special educational needs in her class and because she agreed to take part in this study. The categories of analysis chosen were social exchanges and mediations. Analysis of the results shows that the school has an inclusive school profile. Participant observation enabled it to be seen that the teaching method used by the school takes into consideration the potential and limits of each child with special educational needs; the teachers undergo continuing training and demonstrate dedication and concern with the provision of quality education for all students. However, the interviews revealed some vestiges of traditional teaching methods, which for the most part have prevented teachers from preparing and developing meaningful inclusive practices. This is directly reflected in the evaluation process, given that although evaluation is procedural, continuous and gradual, the school record system is numerical and this requires that teachers convert their evaluation of students with special educational needs into quantitative evaluation. The overall conclusion is that there is a long pathway to be trod in preparing meaningful teaching practices that enable the development of students’ higher mental functions; it falls to teachers to invest greater effort and dedication to preparing a diversified methodological proposal involving the use of varied teaching and learning materials.