Diversity and inclusion at multigrade classrooms in River Side Schools from Pantanal (Brazil)

Abstract

The multigrade school organization is present in the Schools of the Waters in the rural region of the Pantanal in Mato Grosso do Sul. This article is intented to analyze the conditions of diversity and inclusion in this context. For the development of the work, a research of qualitative approach of exploratory nature was conducted to know the opinions and meanings of teachers of these school units. The empirical data collection techniques involved observation of activities at the administrative headquarters and in Schools of the Waters and semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers from these schools, which were recorded and transcribed. The data were systematized in two axes: contextualization of the Schools of the Waters; and description and analysis of teaching work in multigrade classes in these schools, emphasizing diversity and inclusion. The empirical material was analyzed in dialogue with the specialized literature, under the understanding that discourse and individual thought are social constructions. It was found that the inclusion situation is seen as an additional challenge in the multigrade classes. However, there are interesting ways of organizing pedagogical work in this context. It is concluded that the coeducation of students of different ages and “levels” of knowledge can no longer be seen in reference to the serial (or annual) school and can be a form of creation and human formation, a resistance to a fragmented and multifaceted school.