“Precisamos seguir as crianças e não os planos” – análise da influência da experiência educativa de Reggio Emilia nos Centros Municipais de Educação Infantil de Francisco Beltrão-PR

Abstract

This master’s dissertation investigated the influence of the Reggio Emilia educational experience in the Municipal Centers for Early Childhood Education (CMEIs) of Francisco Beltrão-PR. After the re elaboration of the Political-Pedagogical Projects (PPPs), carried out between 2019 and 2021, the CMEIs experienced a constant construction of their pedagogical practices, with the reinvention of spaces and the pursuit of recognizing the child as the protagonist in the learning process, using elements of the Reggio Emilia approach as a reference along this path. Arising from the author’s teaching experiences and her enchantment with the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach, this research sought to answer the following question: How is the Reggio Emilia approach present in the CMEIs of Francisco Beltrão PR? The general objective was to analyze the influence of the Reggio Emilia educational experience on the understanding of the concept of the child and on the organization of pedagogical practices in the CMEIs. Specifically, the study aimed to: (i) Map the presence of the Reggio Emilia educational experience in Brazil, through research and other sources of information; (ii) Identify which CMEIs in Francisco Beltrão grounded their Political-Pedagogical Projects in the Reggio Emilia approach, as well as the elements of this experience present in their pedagogical organization; and (iii) Understand the connections between the pedagogical practices of the CMEIs in Francisco Beltrão and the principles of Reggio Emilia, especially regarding the conception of the child.This is a narrative research study with a qualitative approach, based on authors such as Clandinin and Connelly (2015), Melo and Flores (2022), Conle (2003), Sarmento (2014), Garcia, Arcos and Megías (2022), and Ravagnoli (2018). The investigation is linked to the research line entitled Culture, Educational Processes, and Teacher Education, as well as to the Research Group Education, Child, and Childhood (GPECI). Methodological instruments used included: document analysis of the PPPs of the twenty CMEIs; questionnaires applied to principals and pedagogical coordinators; narrative interviews with principals and coordinators of six selected CMEIs; and visual methodologies, such as photographs, videos, and notes. The dissertation is organized into three chapters. Chapter 1 presents the object, methodology, subjects, data collection instruments, and the contextualization of the municipal early childhood education network. Chapter 2 discusses the emergence of the approach, its fundamental principles, and its dissemination in Brazil. Chapter 3 analyzes the narratives, documents, and images, highlighting connections between local practices and the Reggio Emilia proposal, focusing on axes such as listening, protagonism, environment, and documentation. The theoretical framework of the research dialogues with key authors of the Reggio Emilia approach: Malaguzzi (2001), Rinaldi (2022), Vecchi (2017), and Edwards, Forman, and Gandini (2016). In the field of narrative research and contemporary conceptions of childhood, contributions from Dahlberg, Moss, and Pence (2003), as well as Barbosa (2016), stand out. Throughout the research, it was found that the principles of the Reggio Emilia approach have been established as important references in the organization of PPPs and in the daily practices of the CMEIs, based on the premise that it cannot be reproduced.