REFLEXÕES DE PROFESSORES DA EDUCAÇÃO BÁSICA SOBRE CRISE HÍDRICA NO CONTEXTO DA EDUCAÇÃO AMBIENTAL COMPLEXA

Abstract

Amidst current socio-environmental crises, Environmental Education (EE) emerges as a field of knowledge that assists in the development of critical thinking, the recovery and valorization of social relationships, ethical, political, and cultural values. In this sense, we understand that schools are crucial for social transformation and the implementation of EE. Among contemporary socio-environmental issues, the water crisis demands attention, as it encompasses a complex web of causes and consequences involving various dimensions such as economic, ecolo gical, political, and social aspects. For tackling issues of complexity, Edgar Morin's Theory of Complexity helps us understand that the water crisis is not merely an isolated environmental problem, but rather a phenomenon rooted in consumption patterns, inadequate management policies, social inequalities, and climate change. Morin's perspective suggests the need to integrate different disciplines and sectors of society to effectively address the water crisis and promote social participation in decision-making processes. Therefore, the aim of this research was to understand how an educational product, developed through interaction and joint construction with teachers from different knowledge areas, can assist in expanding knowledge about the water crisis issue, using it as an instrument of EE. The research was characterized as intervention research and was conducted with two groups of teachers from different knowledge areas (co-production group and validation group) in a public school in Pitanga, PR. The co-production group consisted of participants who went through participation meetings, workshops, construction, and evaluation of the educational product, while the validation group participated in only one meeting to investigate their conceptions, analyze, and evaluate the educational pro duct. The instruments for data production were questionnaires administered to the participating teachers, a focus group (FG), and field notes. These pieces of information were analyzed qualitatively. The research highlighted the importance of collective participation of teachers in building new knowledge and reflections on socio-environmental themes, especially the water crisis. The proposal also contributes to the dissemination of critical and complex EE, addressing various socio-environmental issues and promoting the integration of different knowledge areas for educational actions in schools.