Educação intercultural e diálogo entre diferentes saberes: desafios e possibilidades no ensino de ciências da escola básica

Abstract

The field of intercultural education is currently the source of numerous debates, including discussions about the idea of knowledge dialogue. We live in a diverse society, composed of different ethnicities, cultures, and ways of knowledge production, but still composed of educational institutions that do not embrace these diversities and reproduce a decontextualized, homogenizing education, which privileges certain knowledge and wisdoms, assumed as unique, valid and superior, to the detriment of others. This work is based on the assumption that, by means of intercultural education, it is possible to build schools that promote respect for diversity, train citizens capable of claiming the right to different forms of knowledge production and, consequently, contribute to a society that respects the plurality of existences. In this context, this paper sought to achieve two objectives: (1) To analyze experiences within the area of interculturality and science teaching, critically reflecting on the challenges and potentialities related to educational practice. In this analysis, we pursued the following question: What are the limitations, challenges, motivations and potentialities for the realization of activities/interventions involving knowledge dialogue and intercultural education in science teaching in basic school? From the results, we indicated axes of action that can guide the creation of new proposals aimed at intercultural education, fostering practices that work with diversity in the construction of knowledge in the natural sciences in elementary school. (2) To analyze an activity carried out in the context of two artisanal fishing communities in the northern coast of Bahia, in which a didactic sequence involving the dialogue of knowledge was collaboratively developed in the early grades of elementary school. The activity was carried out in two schools: Sagrada Família Municipal School, located in the Siribinha community, and Brazilina Eugênia de Oliveira Municipal School, located in the Poças community. Both communities are part of the Conde-Ba municipality. Aspects concerning the collaborative construction of the didactic sequence by researchers/researchers and elementary school teachers were analyzed, aiming to foster the deconstruction of hierarchical positions usually present in this relationship, as well as the results of the intervention regarding the insertion of local knowledge in the teaching and learning processes.