Participatory approach to creating an interpretive trail as a strategy for environmental education in São José do Rio Pardo – SP / A abordagem participativa na construção de uma trilha interpretativa como uma estratégia de educação ambiental em São José do Rio Pardo - SP

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2005

RESUMO

The central issue of this investigation, which was conducted in the city of São José do Rio Pardo (SP), is the incorporation of participatory approaches to developing contextualized and significant educational strategies for the community involved, thus creating opportunities for reflection, action and spread of conservationist ideas and practices. This research, therefore, aimed to plan a participatory process of developing an interpretive trail as a tool for environmental education and assess the application of such methodologies in the engagement of the local participants in the different steps of this process. Representatives from the municipal departments for Education, Culture, Tourism and Agriculture as well as representatives of non-governmental organizations, companies and students participated in the research. All of them, to a greater or lesser extent, took part in the different steps in the process of creating the interpretive trail: the early diagnosis of the place; the choice of the place and target public; the creation of the interpretive itinerary; the accomplishment and assessment of the activities involved in the visit to the trail made by secondary school students; and the assessment of the process as a whole. Since techniques of participatory rural appraisal and focus groups can provide an interactive dimension of a group, they were used for collecting data from the diagnosis and the development of the trail. Interpretive trail has been shown to be an educational strategy capable of transcending the cognitive aspects of the learning and providing students with opportunities to develop their affective aspects and skills. Thus, it can be considered as an effective tool for environmental education. Nevertheless, it should be first considered as a part of a wider process rather than a prompt educational event. The process consisted of opportunities for individual and collective reflection on the relevant environmental themes. The group life, the respect for differences, and the ability to compromise and make collective decisions were evolved. The initial interest in the theme, the personal affinities, and the previous experience some of the participants had in working group facilitated the engagement, participation and articulation. Some of the difficulties in continuing participatory projects range from the sequence of activities – when the researcher leaves the group – to changes in the political context in which they were initiated. It can explain the importance of the participation of representatives from the private and service sectors. The participatory methodology generates the autonomy of the participants, thus promoting further possibilities for continuing the project and allowing new initiatives for conservationist actions and environmental education from the participants

ASSUNTO(S)

interpretive trail biodiversidade environmental education são josé do rio pardo educação ambiental trilha interpretativa biodiversity são josé do rio pardo

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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