O fazer pedagógico: como a formação docente pode contribuir para a educação inclusiva na educação infantil

Abstract

Special Education should permeate all levels and modalities of education, from Early Childhood Education to Higher Education. Early Childhood Education, as the initial stage of basic education, plays a crucial role in the inclusion of children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). This is due to it being the first point of entry for children into educational institutions. In this sense, we believe that teachers' conceptions of the child, childhood, and inclusion will directly influence the pedagogical practices developed in Early Childhood Education institutions, and that initial and ongoing teacher training will significantly contribute to the quality of education and, consequently, to an inclusive educational perspective. The motivation for this research arises from my experiences as a Pedagogy student, during supervised internships at a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center in Natal. Through conversations with teachers, I noticed significant gaps between initial training and classroom practice, which hinder the inclusion process of children with SEN in schools. Thus, this study aims to discuss the importance of initial and continued teacher training for the inclusion of children with SEN, based on inclusive pedagogical practices developed with those regularly enrolled in Early Childhood Education, from a critical and reflective perspective. Specific objectives include historically outlining the process of inclusion and teacher training; identifying gaps between these processes; proposing teaching strategies; and investigating the contributions that proper teacher training can have on the performance of these children. Through bibliographic analyses addressing initial and continued teacher training in Special Education and current public policies on Inclusive Education, we aim to express the reality of teachers working with the target audience, considering teacher training from an inclusive perspective focused on students with SEN in Early Childhood Education institutions. The research adopts an exploratory approach through documentary and bibliographic sources such as Vygotsky (2011), Ferreira (2012), Nelson (2013), and others, along with qualitative data analysis via a digital questionnaire for teachers working in early childhood education at CMEI in Natal. My internship experience at this institution serves as the basis for the questions guiding data collection, bridging the two areas and seeking to relate them. The inclusive educational experience found at the school shows that over time, schools have opened up to student diversity, necessitating that educational institutions and their staff reinvent themselves to ensure the rights of children with SEN. This involves seeking new knowledge, resources, strategies, and methods to meet new educational demands, which is crucial for children with SEN to be seen as capable of holistic development and learning according to their potential. Ultimately, it is concluded that teacher training, alongside other factors, can positively contribute to the performance of children in inclusive Early Childhood Education.