Projeto de Vida na educação de jovens e adultos em Minas Gerais: entre a realidade e as possibilidades do componente curricular

Abstract

The present research was conducted with the aim of understanding the curricular component "Projeto de Vida" (Life Project) in the state of Minas Gerais, introduced into the school curriculum after the High School Reform in 2017, specifically in the classes of Youth and Adult Education (Educação de Jovens e Adultos - EJA). Given the central objective, the study sought to comprehend students' perceptions of their life trajectories, encompassing their relationship with school, teachers, and the New High School; investigate the Life Projects of EJA youth, considering their specificities; analyze the official documents guiding teachers in this component; and understand the strategies and solutions teachers employ in the development of Life Projects. Building on theoretical concepts, the research discussed the notion of Life Projects and youth as a starting point for developing the strategies used by actors in shaping their future projects. The research was conducted in two stages: the first involved content analysis, following Bardin (1997), focusing on the National Common Curricular Base (Brazil, 2018); the Curriculum Reference for Minas Gerais (Minas Gerais, 2021); the Pedagogical Handbook for the Educational Route of Youth and Adult Education - Curricular Matrices Resolution SEE nº 4.777/2022 (Minas Gerais, 2022); and Resolution SEE nº 4.798/2022 (ANNEX XI) - New High School 2023 (Brazil, 2022). The second stage consisted of an exploratory study in three schools in the city of Juiz de Fora - MG, observing Life Project classes and conducting interviews with students and teachers. Employing different approaches, teachers aimed to introduce students to the world of work, the competencies, and skills activated by them as they navigate their past, present, and future. In this sense, I use concepts related to the time and temporalization of these youth to focus this study on the specificities of this teaching modality. It is concluded that, despite the personal efforts of teachers, the curricular component, in my view and from the perspective of students, lacks more engaging theoretical and methodological approaches that meet the demands of this audience.