Cursos presenciais de pedagogia na Paraíba: investigando referenciais sobre educação especial inclusiva e comunicação alternativa

Abstract

This Master's research in the Teaching-Learning Processes line has a theoretical dialogue with Special Education from the perspective of Inclusive Education, whose paradigm was guaranteed through struggles and social movements that, little by little, materialized in laws, declarations and in the knowledge necessary for the training of teachers. It is considered that, in addition to a distant and vague knowledge about inclusion, it is necessary for teachers to have the skills to build meaningful learning spaces for students who are the target audience of Special Education, focusing on those with complex communication needs. In this way, Augmentative and Alternative Communication is shown as a relevant content for teacher training courses. The general objective was: to analyze references about Special Education from the perspective of Inclusive Education and Augmentative and Alternative Communication, in the degree courses in Pedagogy of public universities in Paraíba. The specific objectives were: to characterize the courses investigated as references in the pedagogical course projects and in the curricular components that deal with Special Education from the perspective of Inclusive Education and Augmentative and Alternative Communication and to identify, through teachers, knowledge and strategies about Special Education from the perspective of Inclusive Education and Augmentative and Alternative Communication in their pedagogical practices. The method used for the research was the study of multiple cases, as its investigation took place in seven Pedagogy courses. For data collection, the pedagogical projects of the courses were selected and a questionnaire was applied with 22 professors from the investigated public higher education institutions. For data analysis, Content Analysis was used. The results showed, on Special Education in the Perspective of Inclusive Education, that the investigated courses deal with this theme in their Pedagogical Course Projects and pedagogical practices. However, the courses that showed the most references on the subject were the courses at the Federal University of Campina Grande and the State University of Paraíba, both located in Campina Grande. Regarding Augmentative and Alternative Communication, none of the investigated courses included this area of study in the Pedagogical Course Projects, however, through the questionnaire, it was identified that there are teachers who work on this theme in specific components of the Special Education area, thus showing, that Augmentative and Alternative Communication has, albeit minimally, appeared in Pedagogy courses in Paraíba, in classroom practices. Regarding Augmentative and Alternative Communication, the courses that stand out were the Federal University of Paraíba in João Pessoa, in Mamanguape and the State University of Paraíba in Campina Grande. Thus, it is concluded that the investigated courses need to offer more specific curriculum components in the area of Special Education that offer a specific and in-depth study in the technical dimension on how to work with people with disabilities, such as the Augmentative and Alternative Communication resources, and also treat Special Education from the perspective of Inclusive Education in an interdisciplinary way in more basic components of the curriculum. These considerations need to be explicit in the Course's Pedagogical Project, as it materializes and indicates the formative paths that the course will follow, explaining, above all, the humanizing and inclusive look that teachers need to translate into pedagogical practices.