Para além dos muros da escola: o pedagogo na assistência social atuando no município de Erechim - RS

Abstract

The atuation field of professionals qualified in teaching is usually linked to the formal field of teaching, represented by public and/or privated schools. Recognizing that educational actions also occur in other places, the focus of this research deals with the possibilities, responsibilities, and challenges of the insertion of pedagogues in non-formal educational spaces, more specifically in Social Assistance. For this, a qualitative approach was used, based on a bibliographic, documental and field research. The bibliographic research supported the delimitation of concepts, considering that the theoretical trends that seek to define non-formal education are dynamic and not always consensual, for this we used as theoretical contributions Saviani (2013), Libâneo (2010, 2011, 2012), Brandão (2007), Freire (1987, 1996, 2000), Gadotti (1983, 1991), Gohn (2010, 2011), among others. The documental study, on the other hand, allowed for the understanding of what the legislation says about some topics. From a perspective of social transformation we rely fundamentally on the approaches of liberation, emancipation and autonomy, considering them as the basis for the discussion of the pedagogue's role and attributions in non-formal education. In the field research, interviews were conducted with three pedagogues, who work in Social Assistance in the city of Erechim, using content analysis as the approach used for data interpretation and treatment. The study addresses the relationship between Social Assistance and education, bringing to the debate an understanding of the world of work and the generation of inequalities, especially in the Brazilian case. It also brings reflections about the field of pedagogy as a science of education, which involves a broad process of theoretical and methodological training. The investigation carried out reaffirmed the understanding that the role of pedagogues is not restricted to the classroom environment, and that they have several attributions in non-formal educational spaces. In the case studied, the activities performed by the pedagogues range from planning and developing collective projects to home visits. The participants raised, as main challenges of their performance, aspects related to initial training and the lack of appreciation as a specialized professional in the composition of multidisciplinary care teams. The conclusion is that the presence of these professionals in Social Assistance is important, because they have specific characteristics of mediation with the subjects, through listening, observation, and dialogue, in order to plan possible interventions. These mediations supported by the perspective of 'subject recognition' broaden the processes of awareness in the search for rights, promote autonomy, and can contribute to overcoming vulnerability(ies).