Being a Physics teacher in inclusive school settings

Abstract

This article is a result of a research with a qualitative approach, whose main objective was to analyze how Physics teachers experience the process of inclusion of students who are the target audience of Special Education in regular classes. In order to achieve its objective, the research was organized in two stages with the participation of twenty-six Physics teachers from Minas Gerais state network in the city of Uberlândia. Semi-structured questionnaire and interview were the tools used for data collection and as for data interpretation, strategies inspired by Content Analysis were adopted. The research showed that teachers do not feel able to develop their practices with diverse classes, and this difficulty is caused by the gaps arising from initial training and difficulty in carrying out continuing education aimed at this special audience. Another highlighted factor was the absence of a support network to help the Physics teachers walk along this hard path. In order to contemplate a more effective inclusion, it is important to rethink the curricula, assessment methods and training of the school staff. There was an evident lack of dialogue with the support teacher, which strengthens the gap in the educational process and deprives the participation of students who are the target audience of Special Education from school activities. There are countless concerns on this theme, making it necessary to build a school culture that contemplates the diversity present in this environment and, mainly, the deconstruction of the concept of the presence of the target-audience student only for socialization, forgetting that he/she can develop the scientific knowledge with the help of the teacher.