The school and inclusive education: teachers and students in scene

Abstract

The article analyzes topics of inclusive education for teachers and students. Elements of discursive situations are brought to light in the challenges and daily life of two public schools in a city of Minas Gerais (Brazil) and are highlighted in the text, vis-à-vis, field observations and opinions expressed by teachers and students of those schools concerning inclusive education. Data was obtained as the result of a survey carried out with the support of the Scientific Initiation Program (Programa de Iniciação Científica) of the Federal University of Ouro Preto, in the period 2011-2013. The research is qualitative and uses data collected through systematic observations and semi-structured interviews. Results presented in the article point to the discomfort and complaints by the teaching staff, with prevailing feelings of unpreparedness for the exercise of inclusive education. The article argues for a better understanding of everyday school life, when permeated by situations that could be addressed in an inclusive manner. In conclusion it highlights the urgency of changes in the modes the teaching staff regards those children who need differential attention, so that ‘deficits’ could be minimized and educational possibilities sought, as a possible way out of the situation of immobility that transpires through teachers pronouncements.