Conservation units in the training of environmental educators: a practice of “ComVivência Pedagógica”

uma prática de “ComVivência Pedagógica”

Abstract

This article presents the results of a study that investigated the contributions of the theoretical-methodological proposal “ComVivência Pedagógica”  in the training of environmental educators, using Conservation Units (CUs) as non-formal educational spaces. The course “Training of Environmental Educators in Non-Formal Spaces” offered by the Extension School of the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro served as the basis for the research. Based on the critical perspective of Environmental Education, the training process articulated theory, practice, and immersive experiences in two CUs in the Baixada Fluminense region. Developed by the GEPEADS/UFRRJ study group, ComVivência Pedagógica is based on training principles and pedagogical components, whose purpose is to break with dominant paradigms and stimulate processes of meaning reconstruction. The research, which was qualitative and interventional in nature, had its data analysis phase anchored in Discursive Textual Analysis and showed that the training experience broadened the development of socio-environmental awareness, favoring and reframing the pedagogical practices of the participants. Among the research results, Conservation Units proved to be powerful spaces for critical reflection, strengthening the sense of belonging and building new ways of relating to nature and society. In addition, the articulation between experiences in natural environments and critical educational practices proved to be a relevant strategy in the training of educators committed to socio-environmental transformation. It is concluded that the Pedagogical Coexistence proposal contributes to the construction of an environmental education that is more concerned with territories, subjects, and contemporary challenges.