Educação popular na escola pública: desafios, possibilidades e concepções de educadores do Ensino Fundamental

Abstract

Thinking about education from the perspective of popular education leads us to historical processes of exclusion of popular classes in society, taking into account the contradictions of a capitalist society. This thesis aims to investigate the challenges and possibilities of popular education in public schools based on the perceptions of elementary school educators. To achieve this goal, it was crucial to conduct a historical analysis of education in Brazil, highlighting important processes through which education has evolved. This work also examines the trajectory of popular education, emphasizing its historical processes and the working class's struggle for their rights. The research was methodologically based on fieldwork, using semi-structured interviews with elementary school educators. These interviews provided insights into the challenges and possibilities of implementing popular education in public schools from the educators' perspectives. Popular education is an educational approach that promotes the emancipation of the working class. Thus, following this path, the study was guided by the central question: “What are the challenges and possibilities of popular education in public schools from the perspectives of elementary school educators?”This analysis stems from an understanding of the historical process of education in Brazil and how education can serve as a tool for either humanization or dehumanization. The study draws on theoretical frameworks from Paulo Freire (1989, 1996, 1992, 2005), Carlos Rodrigues Brandão (1981, 2006), Ana Maria do Vale (2001), Gadotti (2012), among others. Based on the results of the interviews, we were able to identify the challenges and possibilities of popular education within schools and to share the utopian vision that popular education can indeed be integrated into the school system.