Responsabilidade ambiental na formação acadêmica: práticas educativas de um núcleo ambiental em um Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia

Abstract

This study was developed in conjunction with the Postgraduate Program in Profes- sional and Technological Education – ProfEPT, master’s level, in the line of research Educational Practices in Professional and Technological Education (EPT), at the In- stituto Federal Farroupilha (IFFar). The research is based on the assumption that, within the scope of the Federal Institutes of Education, an education based on theo- retical assumptions with an emphasis on integration and transversality of the curricu- lum prevails. In this sense, teaching is developed not only in the classroom, but through research, extension and the work of Study Centers and Support to the Aca- demic Community. At IFFar, one of these Centers in Action is the Center for Envi- ronmental Management and Education (NUGEA), whose responsibility is to execute the Institutional Environmental Policy. In this sense, the research problem investigat- ed was “What concepts of integrated curriculum permeate the practices involving En- vironmental Education developed within the scope of NUGEA, at the Instituto Federal Farroupilha?”. The general objective of the research is to “Investigate the actions of the Environmental Education and Management Centers of the Instituto Federal Far- roupilha, with a view to understanding the practices developed and the perspective of curriculum integration.” The methodology used was bibliographical research and the analysis of guiding documents on Environmental Education at the institution and the Informative News produced and published on the institutional website and social networks. The data analysis was carried out using Bardin’s (1977) content analysis. As main results, an effort can be seen to develop activities that involve Environmen- tal Education from an omnilateral and interdisciplinary perspective, with a view to propaedeutic and professional training. However, the action strategies are still incipi- ent and focused on activities that involve the development of less complex action strategies in terms of short-term organization, such as: lectures, workshops, courses open to the community; implementation of interdisciplinary projects, recreational ac- tivities, school gardens, awareness campaigns, and visits to the school space. The social communication and mobilization strategies basically involve the dissemination of information about the NUGEAs' activities through different means of communica- tion, with a view to raising awareness about issues related to environmental educa- tion. On some IFFar campuses, the study did not identify NUGEA activities/action strategies. The educational product was organized in the form of a script for a dis- cussion group, focusing on critical, reflective, and sustainable Environmental Educa- tion, aimed at students in Integrated High School. Finally, the importance of NUGE- A's work at an institutional level is clear; however, the core's action policies are still incipient and require support and understanding of the importance of developing them for human and integral development.