Environmental education at school during the pandemic: reports of teacher practices

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) appears as one of the main tools for awareness and reflection about the problems caused by the disorderly action of humanson the nature. However, with the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenges of working EE at school increased within of the teaching-learning context of the remote teaching. Thus, the present work aims to investigate how teachers are working the EE in basic education in the face of the pandemic context caused by Covid-19. The work was developed in May 2021, through qualitative-quantitative research, using an electronic form developed in Google Forms. In total, 42 teachers from different stages and levels of education were interviewed. The research found that, despite the challenges provided by remote teaching, most interviewed teachers have been working the EE using different methodologies and teaching resources, including new digital technologies. However, the teachers perceive that there is a limitation in studentlearning with remote teaching, and this constitutes the main limiting factor for the work of EE during the pandemic. Didactic planning, teacher training,and acquisition of diversified teaching materials focused onthe reality of remote teaching are necessary and can result in a broader and interdisciplinary work of EE at school, even in times of pandemic.