O trabalho docente e a inclusão de um aluno autista em aulas de ciências

Abstract

This research aims at discussing the topics of autism and the teaching work and is linked to the research line Teacher’s Training and Pedagogical Practices of the Graduate Program in Science Education (PPGEC) at the Federal University of Fronteira Sul – Cerro Largo Campus – RS. The objective of the article is to understand the work of the researcher teacher considering the inclusion of a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This is a qualitative research study from the perspective of Action Research (IFA), consisting of a self-reflective spiral mediated by a practice of Science Modeling (MC) in the form of a case study. Action Research goes through the cycles of problem, observation, reflection, planning, and action. The first cycle of IFA is triggered by the work context of the researcher teacher, who has a student diagnosed with ASD in her classroom and uses methodological strategies to contribute to that student's learning and development. In this initial movement, the review study helped the researcher understand the characteristics of students with ASD, as well as the difficulties and challenges of their inclusion in the regular classroom, revealing the methodological strategies used by teachers. The second cycle of the self-reflective spiral consists of action planning and is based on the assumptions of MC, passing through the stages of Perception and Apprehension, Comprehension and Explicitation, Meaning and Expression. The planning was implemented in the classroom with a 6th-grade elementary school class. To do that, the data for this research were compiled from the training diaries and recorded video lessons. The analytical process of the training diaries is based on the procedures of Discursive Textual Analysis (DTA), from which it is possible to discuss: 1) the intermediation of the researcher teacher; 2) the specificities of the student with ASD; and 3) the relationship among other students and the construction of an inclusive environment. These subcategories represent the final category, called ‘teacher's work in classroom diversity’. The metatext is metaphorically constructed by the “wind chime,” which represents inclusion as a wind that blows through the classroom, bringing with it diversity, challenges, and new teaching opportunities. Based on the results discussed, it is important to point out the need for the school context to create mechanisms so that inclusion can occur and that undergraduate courses provide training for inclusive teachers.