Cuidado e educação: aproximações e distanciamentos nas práticas pedagógicas das professoras de educação infantil com bebês e crianças bem pequenas

Abstract

This research attends with the understanding of care and education in the pedagogical practices of Early Childhood Education teachers – 0 to 3 years old. It is linked to the research line “Culture, educational process and teacher training” of the Post-Graduate Program in Education – Master, at the State University of Western Paraná – Francisco Beltrão Campus – PR. It aims to investigate how teacher´s understandings of care and education influence the pedagogical practices in classes of children aged 0 to 3 years and 11 months. Considering that the guide documents of Early Childhood Education (Brazil, 1996. 2009, 2017), as well as the authors who deal with this age of teaching emphasize the inseparability of care and education (Montenegro, 2009; Kramer, 2005; Guimarães, 2011), this research raises the following question: How do the teachers undestandings care and education manifest themselves in their teaching practices with babies and very young children? To answer this question, this research carries out a case study using the following techniques: bibliographic survey of the topic; study of the national, state, municipal and institucional legislation; application of questionnaires and focus group with teachers of classes for babies and very young children at a Municipal Early Childhood Education Center (CMEI) in Francisco Beltrão, Paraná; as well as observation of the classes that were the subject of this study, taking notes through a field diary. Based on data analysis carried out through triangulation of the data produced and based on the phenomenological approach, it is clear that the teacher emphasize the inseparability of care and education, however, they still separate these concepts When exemplifying how this occurs in the daily life of Early Childhood Education. This understanding is evident in the pedagogical practice of these teachers as “pedagogical practices” occupy a prominent place in the provided to children and care is strongly linked to meeting the physical needs of food and hygiene, demonstrating a distance. The care and education as a binomial are demonstrated in everyday actions, which are not planned and are not tied to the teaching of a specific contente, but demonstrate consideration of the child as a whole being, characterized closeness.