Diversidade cultural : afrodescendente, indígena e práxis de professores a partir do currículo de história em escolas de ensino médio

Abstract

The praxis of public high school history teachers in Roraima state occurs in the midst of the cultural diversity present in this region. There are indigenous, Afro-descendants and migrants in urban public schools, whose knowledge diversity is ignored by scientific, rational, Eurocentric, homogeneous and monocultural knowledge. In the meantime, teachers, parents, students, and society criticize the way education is built. Teachers point out the flaws of the system and curriculum and accuse it for not functioning as it should; parents require learning that contributes to the quality of life of families; and students complain about curricula’s lack of social significance; sectors of society perceive the distance between education and the critical posture for the citizen's performance of students, other sectors demand training for the labor market. Another problem is how to make Afrodescendant and indigenous stories and cultures visible (Federal Laws 10639/03 and 11.645/08). So, this work investigated how History teachers of secondary schools develop their praxis concerning cultural diversity of Afro-descendants and indigenous people. As a qualitative approach, this research used the critical theoretical framework, emphasizing the concepts of culture, cultural diversity, identity, memory, homogenization of teaching, monocultural education, Eurocentric education, democratic school, essentialism and meritocracy. Field research was carried out through interviews and documentary research. Data analysis was performed using the content analysis technique, supported by Atlas.ti software. In the midst of a quest for quality education, History teachers exercise their teaching practice critically, but use only the tools of science for students to learn. All the student’s world views, beliefs, symbologies, ways to organize, to work, to survive are silenced. There is a need to merge scientific and community’s knowledges. Formal education still has an Eurocentric, monocultural and homogeneous bias. Teachers perform a variety of techniques and methodologies to make learning meaningful, but they only will can overcome the "bonds" that hold their teaching praxis with a continuous formation concerned about cultural diversity as the spearhead of learning in History.