Challenges in the extended formation of teachers aiming at the inclusion of special-needs students.

Abstract

Special Education underwent several changes in the XX century through socialmovements that claimed for equality for all citizens as well as for thesuppression of all sorts of discrimination. This paper has the objective ofrevealing the experience obtained by a team of researchers in a course ofextended formation, presenting the Extended Course for Teachers of PublicSchools in the Municipality of Araras-SP, through the Center of ExtendedMathematics, Scientific and Environmental Education (CECEMCA) of theUniversidade Estadual Paulista -Unesp. The CECEMCA adopted the strategyof centralizing its courses in the Environmental Education and studies related toenvironmental aspects as well as the didactic material related to the courses.Such courses can be with presence, semi-presence or at distance. This paperintends to disseminate the techniques developed in the preparation andapplication of didactic material, specially tactile models in interdisciplinaryactivities aimed at the inclusion of students with special needs, emphasizing theeducation of blind or visually impaired students through a reflexive actiondirecting the practices to Action-Reflection-Action. The presence requiredactivities were composed of theoretical explanations approaching cartographic,geographic and environmental concepts, practical activities in which theparticipants built their didactic sets (tactile models) and reading of accounts anddiscussions about the teaching experiences in projects with the students of theschool. The activities at distance were composed of two parts: extra-classactivities including the development of a project with the students to create athematic tactile model prioritizing the multidisciplinary approach and technicaland practical visits with cartographic material. The experience of the extendedteachers' formation course achieved its objectives when made it possible theinvolvement of teachers of different areas of knowledge. The thematic projectswere developed with their students having as a main theme the cartographyand the inclusion of special needs students.