A Educação Profissional e Tecnológica como práxis: o curso Técnico em Meio Ambiente e o turismo sustentável

Abstract

This study analyzes the potential of birdwatching as a pedagogical tool within Professional and Technological Education (PTE), particularly in the Environmental Technical Course. It starts from the problem that PTE, in many contexts of the Brazilian semi-arid region, is still grounded in technicist and decontextualized practices that disregard traditional knowledge and the sociocultural reality of students. In response, a pedagogical intervention is proposed based on action research, problem-posing pedagogy, and the ecology of knowledge, aiming at the construction of an integrated and territorially grounded curriculum. The methodology consists of developing a didactic sequence structured around the Three Pedagogical Moments, integrating theory and practice through investigative activities, field trips, and interdisciplinary articulation. The proposal values traditional ecological knowledge, especially related to the Caatinga avifauna, and seeks to promote student protagonism, critical environmental education, and integral human development. The results indicate that the use of birdwatching as an educational practice fosters meaningful learning, strengthens students' territorial identity, and contributes to biodiversity conservation, as well as opening possibilities for sustainable development and solidarity economy. It is concluded that overcoming the technicist paradigm in PTE depends on transforming pedagogical practices through dialogical, contextualized, and locally committed approaches.