Investigação participativa no ensino de biologia para compreender os impactos socioambientais da mineração em Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais

Abstract

Biology education with a focus on sociotechnological disasters affecting the environment represents a meaningful approach to fostering students’ critical understanding of the relationship between human activities and the environment, particularly within the context of a predatory extractivist logic. This study aimed to develop a pedagogical proposal to support the study and comprehension of sociotechnological disasters that impact the environment, with a specific focus on mining activities in the Médio Rio Doce region. The proposal was grounded in an investigative and participatory approach to Biology Education. The project was carried out with students enrolled in the Youth and Adult Education (Educação de Jovens e Adultos – EJA) program at Escola Estadual Abílio Rodrigues Patto, located in the municipality of Governador Valadares, Brazil. The educational activities took place within the school and were structured into a Didactic Sequence designed to encourage students to conduct bibliographic research as part of the inquiry-based learning process. Additionally, interdisciplinary activities were implemented, including discussion circles, classroom debates, and an art workshop focused on the environmental impacts of mining in the region. The materials produced by students during the research and art activities—such as poems, drawings, paintings, and photo collages—were compiled into an illustrated artistic manifesto. This output offered valuable insights for understanding mining-related sociotechnological disasters in the region and opened space for reflection and dialogue on possible alternatives for their prevention and remediation. The outcomes of this Project the ebook, the artistic manifesto, and the didactic sequence can serve as reference materials and sources of inspiration for future Biology teaching practices that are contextualized to the realities of territories affected by mining and other neo-extractivist ventures.