Inclusão de estudantes com necessidades especiais no ensino agrícola: experiências docentes no Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Minas Gerais – Campus São João Evangelista-MG

Abstract

In this study we investigated the inclusion of students with special needs, based on teachers’ daily life experiences in a Technological Basic School that belongs to the Federal Public System. We also addressed issues related to teachers’ initial and ongoing training and teachers’ practices that contribute to inclusive school organization. This study problematized teachers’ training, which is stumbling as to the attendance of students’ diversity with special needs, by not allowing teachers the necessary critical reflection towards the development of their autonomy, having as theoretical grounds Theodor Adorno’s thoughts, critical theory representative from Frankfurt School. We also analyzed the structural changes that have taken place in postmodern society, related to the contact with diversity. This movement is an important assumption to the inclusion of students with special needs, having Stuart Hall’s thoughts as a support. We questioned some matters related to education and emancipation, education and politics and education and sensibility focused on teacher’s critical training to their autonomy, bearing in mind inclusive schools organization. School inclusion must occur not only based on legal provisions, but chiefly also by teachers’ sensitivity to educational democratization process and by means of critical reflection about teaching practices in school life. Legal issues that support school inclusion of students with special needs were analyzed in regular teaching system. Possibilities in inclusive schools organization were also analyzed, based on the development of solidarity and respect among teachers and students. Teachers from a technical course integrated to High School in a Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology, São Joao Evangelista Campus, were the main subjects considered for this research. By semi-structured interviews with teachers from this school it was possible to realize that inclusive processes are still structuring in Brazil, in order to meet an educational demand and they are a great challenge to the schools systems. The results we got from this study allowed us to conclude that teachers’ training has contributed little in combating and overcoming exclusion of students with special needs. Even in face of this reality, school teachers surveyed revealed that central elements to the inclusive school organization are the support networks constituted by school professionals and that their experiences in/from life school, their doings and practices have been the main strategies to face the challenges to students with special needs inclusion. We think this study offers subsidies in order to promote debates about Brazilian schools democratization and about paths that are being driven into the direction of making a more human, plural and solidary school.