Vamos falar sobre drogas? reflexões sobre a necessidade da abordagem da temática na educação profissional e tecnológica

Abstract

The dissertation “LET'S TALK ABOUT DRUGS? Reflections on the need to address the issue in Professional and Technological Education,” linked to the line of research Educational Practices in EPT and Macroproject 3 - Educational Practices in the Integrated Curriculum, used a qualitative approach, through a case study, with the objective of analyzing and understanding the concepts that permeate the curricular and pedagogical practices related to the topic of drugs developed in the Technical Course in Informatics at the Professor Isaías State Institute of Education, in the municipality of Santiago/RS. Thus, the data was constructed through a roundtable discussion with students from the 3rd Module and semi-structured interviews with the course teachers. The investigation was conducted in light of Michel Foucault's discourse analysis assumptions, using the categories of Power-Knowledge Devices, Truth Regimes, and Discursive Formations as categories of analysis. The results revealed that although the topic of drugs is recognized as relevant, on the few occasions that it is addressed, it is done so in a superficial and fragmented manner, often limited to preventive and moralizing discourses, especially when related to external programs, such as PROERD. Furthermore, the course curriculum, which is strongly oriented towards employability and the development of technical skills, restricts the inclusion of cross-cutting and socially relevant topics, reinforcing the separation between technical knowledge and comprehensive education. However, participation in the discussion group and in the development of Educational Products demonstrated the students' interest and engagement, revealing the potential of cross-curricular actions and projects to promote comprehensive education, critical thinking, and social responsibility. These actions showed that it is possible to work on complex and sensitive topics in technical courses, in a cross-curricular manner and linked to the students' reality, without depending on a specific subject. Thus, by giving voice to teachers and students, this research contributed to the construction of contextualized and meaningful knowledge on the topic of drugs, showing that educational practices based on dialogue, collaboration, and transversality are possible paths, reaffirming the role of EPT as a space for critical, ethical, and socially committed education.