Práticas pedagógicas para a educação infantil: contribuição da Educação Ambiental em uma escola quilombola na Chapada Diamantina - BA

Abstract

This study aims to analyze how pedagogical practices related to environmental education can contribute to the learning of early childhood education children at the Valdomiro Gaspar de Souza Municipal School in the Vão das Palmeiras Quilombo, located in Seabra, Bahia, in the Chapada Diamantina Identity Territory, Bahia. This study arose from a concern I had in my teaching career, based on the guiding question: How can teachers' pedagogical practices regarding Environmental Education in Early Childhood Education at a Quilombola community school contribute to children's learning? It is important to emphasize that pedagogical practices are essential for children's development in Early Childhood Education, as they involve a combination of strategies and activities planned and implemented to foster the teaching and learning process. These practices are crucial for children to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will contribute throughout their lives. For this reason, pedagogical practice focused on Environmental Education must be continuous, with the purpose of guaranteeing environmental conservation and sustainability. In this context, Environmental Education within Quilombola communities is necessary, since the implementation of these pedagogical practices requires connecting children with the environment in which they live, prioritizing contact with natural elements—mud, stone, trees, water, plants, and animals—enabling the construction of meaningful experiences with nature in their homeland. The research adopted a qualitative approach with a case study method. We collected data through semi-structured interviews with the school's only teacher who works in the field and through the analysis of several curricular documents. Five visits were made to the school, including three in-person meetings with the teacher. To answer these questions, we further researched authors such as Loureiro (2014), Ibhahin (2014), and Phillipi (2014). However, the results reveal that although the curricular documents establish a significant foundation for cross-curricular environmental education in early childhood education—that is, integrating environmental-related practices into the curriculum— there are still considerable gaps. The implementation of intentional and systematic pedagogical practices in environmental education, starting in early childhood, emerges not only as a recommendation, but as an unavoidable urgent need for the development of conscious, ethical, and responsible citizens. It is imperative that educational institutions and public policies invest heavily in ongoing teacher training and curriculum development that ensures the consistent and contextualized integration of environmental education, empowering them to foster in children a love for the world and the transformative practice necessary to face present and future socioenvironmental challenges.