Ensino, saúde e ambiente na formação docente: reflexões a partir de concepções de licenciandos e egressos do curso de Ciências Biológicas da Faculdade de Formação de Professores da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Health and the environment are topics under discussion by regulatory bodies and the scientific community in the areas of education and teaching, and are also present in elementary education, in distinct types of teaching and school subjects. Through education, it is possible to contribute to the critical construction of concepts of both health and the environment. To this end, it is necessary to investigate the initial and continuing teachers’ formation since teachers' understanding of teaching health and the environment influences their school practices. The objective of this research was to understand and reflect on the conceptions of undergraduate and graduate students of the Biological Sciences - Teachers’ Training Course at the Faculdade de Formação de Professores of Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro about teaching, health and the environment and their relationships, and how they think about the contributions of their initial and continuing teachers’ training course of health and the environment in elementary and high school education. The research had a qualitative approach, and the following were carried out: a survey of articles published in journals, theses, and dissertations on the subject; the application of questionnaires, semi-structured interviews with students and teachers who graduated from the course and analysis of disciplines. The content analysis technique was used to process the data. The analysis indicated that undergraduate and graduate students understood the importance of the relationship between health and the environment and its approach in schools, as well as the need for continuing education regarding these issues; and presented simplistic and paradigmatic views on concepts related to their activities. The analysis of the participants' responses and statements and the course syllabi showed little discussion of the relationship between health and the environment in the course curriculum, with extracurricular internships such as PIBID and Pedagogical Residency indicated by undergraduate and graduate students as important for contributing to the training of future teachers in approaches to these themes. The importance of deepening the relationships between teaching, health, and the environment in the curricula of initial and continuing teacher training courses is emphasized. It is considered important to rethink the teaching of health and the environment and their relationships in an interdisciplinary and socially contextualized way, in order to provide the articulation between theory and practice for the training of teachers for elementary and high school education.