Banca de DEFESA: KAROLINE BARBOSA DA SILVA

SEXUALITY IN ITS BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DIMENSION: THE TRAINING OF PEDAGOGUES IN THE FOUNDATIONS OF NATURAL SCIENCES BASED ON CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS

Controversial Issues; Sexuality Education; Teacher Education; Interdisciplinary Didactic Workshops; Science Education.

Sexuality has been widely discussed in society and science, but it is still considered a
controversial topic in many educational contexts, including schools and families, for
various reasons, such as cultural, religious and ideological. Still seen as taboo,
sexuality is rarely discussed between parents and children and, in schools, the
approach may be worked on merely from a biological point of view, either due to fear
or lack of preparation of teachers in Early Childhood Education and the initial years of
Elementary Education, among other reasons. In the meantime, this study analyzes the
training process of future pedagogues in addressing controversial topics about
sexuality. For the training, we have as a theoretical reference the Interdisciplinary
Didactic Workshops (ODIs), controversial topics, Freirean and dialectical dialogicity,
with a view to addressing sexuality in a biopsychosocial way. The research was
conducted in a curricular component of Fundamentals of Natural Sciences, which
included this controversial topic, and used as data sources the textual productions,
ODI plans, and self-assessment forms of students, tutors, and teachers of the
component. As a result, the analysis of the textual productions revealed that only 13
of the 62 students presented comprehensive and adequate conceptions from a
scientific-cultural point of view about sexuality, while the majority demonstrated a
limited understanding, highlighting the need for continued investment in the training of
educators. In addition, the students reported facing several obstacles, such as the
complexity of the topic and the lack of adequate resources to work with the topic, but,
at the same time, they showed significant potential, such as group collaboration and
the interdisciplinary and creative approach in the creation of specific activities.
Interdisciplinary Teaching Workshops have proven to be an interesting strategy for
promoting a dynamic and collaborative learning environment, and are conducive to
developing fundamental skills for pedagogical practice, including creativity,
communication, planning, focusing on the child as an active subject of learning,
tolerance, critical thinking and contextualization. The research also revealed that the
initial training of pedagogues still lacks a more critical and reflective approach to
controversial topics. However, the collaborative work context, interdisciplinarity and the
challenges faced in planning the ODI were important for bringing greater complexity to
the training of students, and revealing a permanent and collective movement for
developing teaching skills and competencies. Finally, the research highlighted the
importance of bringing to the training of pedagogues the work with controversial topics,
such as sexuality, in a sensitive, scientific and culturally appropriate and
interdisciplinary manner. Investing in the training of educators is essential to guarantee
a quality education that promotes respect, equality and the integral health of children,
preparing them for a conscious and responsible life.