A NEW LOOK AT THE EXPERIENCES OF PROFESSIONAL TECHNICAL EDUCATION AT MIDDLE LEVEL: OBSERVATIONS ON THE SANITATION COURSE AT IFPE

Abstract

The present article stems from the experience of the course Supervised Curricular Internship in Portuguese I, part of the Bachelor's Degree in Portuguese Language at the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) – Recife campus. Representing the first of four mandatory internships, this one is focused on the general observation of the school and its community. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the structure, functioning, and interactions that occur within the school environment, as well as the challenges, methodologies, and assessment strategies used in the classes of a third-period group in the sanitation course, in the Integrated Technical High School modality at the Federal Institute of Pernambuco (IFPE) – Recife campus. To achieve this, the research was guided by an ethnographic framework and was exploratory, descriptive, and field-based in nature, with both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The research subjects were members of the school community in general, with an emphasis on the aforementioned class's students, the coordinator of the Department of Humanities and Languages, and the staff assigned to the library. The data presented here come from document analysis, as well as observations and questionnaires applied to these three segments, all analyzed in light of Law nº 11892, the Law of Creation of the Federal Institutes, and the Institutional Political Pedagogical Project (PPPI) of IFPE. Among the topics observed, positive data stand out regarding the infrastructure and the continuous professional development of the teachers. Additionally, the teaching methodology in the observed classes shows that teachers are attentive to establishing greater interaction and dialogue with students, moving away from purely expository lessons, with good use of available resources and openness to collaboration with PIBID monitors. Finally, attention is also drawn to the numbers related to participation in Research, Extension, and monitoring activities, considering that the inseparability between Teaching, Research, and Extension is one of the pedagogical principles guiding the functioning of the Federal Institutes. Our data set a precedent for expanding dialogue within the field of education regarding teaching practices in the Federal Institutes, while also providing opportunities for new research aimed at investigating motivations and meanings in light of the phenomena observed.