A disciplina libras nos cursos de licenciatura em química da UFJF: contribuições para o ensino de química

Abstract

In Brazil there are approximately 9,7 million people with hearing impairment in different levels of depth and in different age groups. Among this population, we know that a significant number are children, adolescents and young people of school age and are inserted in regular education, with standardized classes for listeners. In this way, thinking about inclusive education also involves looking at teacher training and the needs of a deaf student. If we look at the school reality, most teachers in practice had no contact with discussions about inclusion throughout their initial training, not even with the Libras subject currently offered. In addition to these challenges, 2020 imposed, due to the Covid19 pandemic, the use of digital platforms as teaching tools. Thus, our objective was to investigate how the subject of Libras offered for the Degree in Chemistry courses contributes to teacher training, more specifically the conceptions of graduates and undergraduates when accompanying an offer of the subject of Libras. We also seek to evaluate the changes that occurred during the provision of Emergency Remote Teaching and propose and offer a continuing education course aimed at inclusion in Chemistry Teaching. The participants of this research were students of the Degree in Chemistry at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (UFJF), comprised in two groups, teachers who graduated between the years 2016 to 2021, and students of degree in Chemistry who attended the subject of Pounds in the second half of 2021. In the questionnaire applied to undergraduates and to the professor of the discipline, we were able to gather precious information about the perception of students and professors regarding the possible impacts of the discipline when it is taught remotely. According to our data, this discipline is an opportunity for undergraduates to experience, even briefly, an initial contact with the social and cultural history that led to the identity recognition of deaf people. Graduates who had the opportunity to teach deaf students pointed out their challenges and insecurity in teaching chemistry due to the language barrier and the distance that interfere with their practice in the classroom, a possible reflection that only one subject in the degree does not meet the needs training courses for future teachers focused on inclusive education. The main challenges encountered by teachers and students in remote teaching were social distancing, low interaction, caused by cameras turned off due to shyness, or lack of electronic devices, in addition to the difficulty of executing the signals. We conclude that Higher Education Institutions need to rethink the curricular matrix in undergraduate courses in order to discuss other aspects of inclusion beyond deafness. In the same direction, continuing education courses for practicing teachers are important. We noticed that, throughout the course we offered, teachers, interpreters and students felt the need to collaborate with their speeches, pointing out their fears, insecurities and challenges during their trajectory, an important step for the training of these professionals.