Ensino de química: um estudo de caso acerca das estratégias didáticas usadas com alunos deficientes visuais

Abstract

The inclusion movement in the educational realm, across much of the system, presents weaknesses largely related to how this action is defined and understood. In essence, inclusion may relate to opportunities for access, but in practice, the act of including someone takes on broader meanings and is primarily associated with participation, respect, equity, and above all, accepting differences. From this perspective, the proposal of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) emerges as an approach grounded in neuroscience studies. Although not solely associated with the inclusion movement, it serves as a potential enhancer for this movement. This is because its main objective is to provide access and learning opportunities for all individuals, considering human diversity, rhythms, and actions in the learning process. Given this scenario, the present research aimed to identify and evaluate the possibilities and contributions of didactic strategies that assist in the teaching and learning process in the subject of Chemistry, within the context of a specialized school for visually impaired students and the department of specialized educational assistance, with these institutions serving as the data collection field. Considering that, in terms of teaching practices, the field of Chemistry can be quite exclusive, as it largely relies on visual resources and models. Therefore, the analysis of these practices was conducted within the context of two visually impaired students attending the specialized school as a support to mainstream education. Based on them, the aim was to relate the strategies used and produced in this space to the UDL approach, attempting to meet their educational needs while also planning means to facilitate their participation in heterogeneous spaces. Thus, the UDL proposal was not developed within the specialized space (as this is not its intention), but rather related to the materials and strategies planned in support, so they could also be used in mainstream settings. The main result of this study was the realization that the way we exercise our stimuli is fundamental to the rhythm and actions in the learning process. However, in a more specific sense in terms of participants, it was observed that both students, although belonging to the same profile of students supported by Special Education policies, had different styles and rhythms in the learning process, but also showed trends in terms of sensory strategies. Furthermore, the importance of collaborative teaching between mainstream and specialized schools was noted, both in terms of the educational development of these individuals and in addressing social issues and, especially, inclusion.