A horta agroecológica como tecnologia social educativa: Uma pesquisa-ação junto à Escola Municipal Pedro Ernesto, no Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

Seeking innovative and effective teaching methodologies has become a priority in education, especially in the context of the return to in-person classes after the challenges posed by the Covid 19 pandemic. In this scenario, the combination of agroecological and pedagogical vegetable gardens, which implement active teaching methodologies, emerges as a relevant proposal in the educational context. Thus, the project carried out in collaboration with the Municipal School Pedro Ernesto in Rio de Janeiro aims to highlight the potential of the school garden as an eco-pedagogical space for teaching and learning. Its approach, centered on action research, was complemented by participant observation and group discussions. Initiated in May 2021, the research extended until December 2023, directly involving 350 students from the 1st to the 5th grades of an elementary school, 11 class teachers, the pedagogical management team, cafeteria staff, maintenance personnel, collaborators, and the students' families. Eco-pedagogical practices were based on the Eco pedagogical Dialogical Planning (EDP), promoting integration between the vegetable garden, classrooms, the Science laboratory, the dining hall, the reading room, the inclusive resource room, the technological collaboration space, and the students' homes. In addition to enabling the cultivation of vegetables and monitoring their life cycles, the garden stimulated the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development of the children. It also promoted critical thinking, collaborative work, problem-solving, and environmental awareness. Furthermore, it encouraged the engagement and training of the teaching team to promote interdisciplinary pedagogical practices based on agroecology. The experiences in the pedagogical vegetable garden sensitized students and teachers to healthy eating and nature preservation. The collective construction strengthened the sense of belonging and identity of the participants with the garden and the school. In addition to contributing to the dissemination of knowledge and fostering new innovative practices in education, the methodology used in the research can serve as an inspiration for other educational institutions to adopt similar approaches. In conclusion, over the course of 31 months of action research in a public school setting, the study highlighted the potential of this open-air living laboratory to promote practices where children are the protagonists of the educational process, thereby achieving meaningful and context-based learning.