Diálogo entre o saber popular e o conhecimento científico: a etnobotânica das plantas medicinais na escola

Abstract

Current research investigates the manner teachers maintain dialogue between popular and scientific knowledge. It specifically identifies contents, concepts, didactic strategies and methods employed by teachers for the development of a project on the study of medicinal herbs in a rural school in the municipality of Maringá - PR - Brazil. The investigation occupied the entire school community, totaling 150 subjects, with special reference to students in the lower and higher junior grades. Qualitative analysis involved theoretical and methodological presuppositions of participating research. Data collection, undertaken between April and December 2010, comprised observation, recordings, questionnaires applied to teachers, document analysis and photo files. The project's development and application also involved meetings with supervisors, principals and teachers who took part in the elaboration of activities and planning. Eleven lessons given to a third form class were supervised, whereas two assemblies involving knowledge socialization were monitored. So that teachers could be scientifically prepared and thus work with the students on medicinal herbs, the authors of current research and the school community organized a medicinal botanic garden in the school yard and didactic material on medicinal herbs. Results show a plurality of didactic methodologies and strategies undertaken by teachers during the execution of the project, namely, valorization of students' previous knowledge, dialogue and problematization of several concepts and themes, collective writing of a text, visits to the herb garden, reading and interpretation of the informative text, text production, field lessons, investigatory practices, posters, illustrations, socialization of knowledge, thematic workshop and others. The main difficulty commented on was the teachers' lack of scientific knowledge on the theme. On the other hand, participating research and the project's methodology in current research and the commitment of the teaching staff were of paramount importance for the responsibility of the entire school community in an active and participating way. A dialogue was thus made possible between the traditional and scientific knowledge on medicinal plants and the acquisition of new knowledge and information which are part and parcel of the students' daily experience.