Aplicação do método VERAH como ferramenta de educação ambiental no ensino médio em uma microbacia urbana do município de Várzea Grande MT

Abstract

The environmental issue, when approached in the school, must start from interdisciplinary practices and related to the environmental reality of the school community. Through the discussions on the methods and procedures for Environmental Education (EE), the VERAH (V-Vegetation, E-Erosion, R-Waste, A-Water, H-Housing) method was developed for environmental research. This paper proposes the realization of a simplified environmental diagnosis, based on action research, that serves as an EE instrument involving students and teachers in schools, in an interdisciplinary way. In this sense, the present study aimed to provide high school students, from the Ernandy M. Baracat State School in the municipality of Várzea Grande (MT), An integrated knowledge of the social and environmental aspects of the urban microbasin in which they are inserted, allowing a reflection on the causes and consequences of the observed problems and pointing out alternatives for the solution of the problems detected, through the VERAH method and the development of activities based on the principles of Action-Research. This work was carried out in four stages: Step 1: recognition of the microbasin by school teachers, application of a questionnaire to assess the students' previous knowledge, classes related to concepts and dynamics of the river basin and formation of work groups (students and teachers) for each topic of the VERAH method. Step 2: Field experience: students' microbasin recognition, discussion of environmental problems, and interviews with local residents about the reconstruction of the site's history. In the second and third field experiences, the five themes of the method were: Vegetation-identification of vegetation types and permanent preservation areas, preserved or degraded; Erosion - recognition of the microbasin boundary and mapping of erosive processes with the dynamics of the basin; Solid Waste: the main generating and disposal sites were mapped, the causes and consequences; Water: three water samples were collected in the stream, to analyze the indicators of degradation; Housing: 10 questionnaires were applied randomly in residences around the microbasin, addressing aspects of housing, sanitation, economic profile, health and environment. Step 3: Elaboration of the diagnosis: tabulation, discussion and integration of the results of all groups and later dissemination to the school community and residents in the form of panels, model and video. Step 4: Evaluation: A critical analysis of the method and results obtained, together with teachers and students, was carried out and solutions and some actions that can be adopted to improve and recover the microbasin were developed. The VERAH method proved to be effective both in diagnosis and as an EE instrument, making students more critical and more concerned with the environmental problems they live in, in view of what the National Curricular Parameters propose, especially as interdisciplinarity, since it involved Teachers in various areas of the school in an integrated and participative way. Some adaptations can be made to the method, according to the reality of the microbasin, as occurred in this work regarding the reconstruction of the occupation history by the ancient inhabitants.