Educação ambiental na escola por meio de investigações e debates sobre problemas ambientais locais: vivendo o presente pensando no futuro

Abstract

Environmental education (EE) and socio-environmentalism are topics that must be promoted in formal education and permeate all school subjects transversally, as they not only contribute to critical citizen formation but also foster the development of behaviors and attitudes that contribute to the preservation of environmental resources. Despite its evident importance, especially amid so many environmental emergencies, EE is a theme that is poorly developed in school environments. Thus, this present study addressed the theme of environmental education, under the investigative argumentative approach, focusing mainly on the socio-environmental problems of the communities surrounding the Marechal Mascarenhas de Moraes State School, as investigative activity aims to involve the student in an authentic process of scientific construction, bringing the individual to the center of the construction of their own learning. The general objective of this study was to develop a didactic sequence aimed at promoting awareness of local environmental problems among students and stimulating them to search for solutions through investigative teaching. Activities were based on bibliographic research and internet resources, as well as field research and classroom debates. Our subjects were first-year high school students (n = 28) from the Marechal Mascarenhas de Moraes State School, located in the Teixeiras neighborhood, a peripheral area of the municipality of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. The didactic sequence took place in four stages, comprising nine classes lasting 50 minutes each. The first stage, defined as 'orientation,' consisted of an interactive lecture and commented videos. The second stage, defined as 'conceptualization,' consisted of bibliographic research and seminars conducted by students. In the third stage, 'investigation,' field research was carried out. Finally, in the fourth stage of 'conclusion and discussion,' classroom debates were held, and the didactic sequence was finalized. The teaching strategy proposed proved to be effective in the consolidation of knowledge and the development of critical and scientific thinking. Thus, we demonstrate that investigative teachings, combined with different methodologies, have the potential to promote increased protagonism of the individuals involved.