Educação inclusiva e flexibilidade curricular - aproximações e distanciamentos entre discursos "oficiais" e discursos de professores

Abstract

In Portugal, curriculum policies suffered oscillatory movements (Fernandes, 2011) that led schools and teachers to “distrust” the benefits that these proposals can bring to the improvement of work processes and student learning. Based on this premise, a research was conducted that focused on two measures implemented in Portugal in 2017/2018, which defend the principles of an inclusive education / school (Decree-Law No. 54/2018, of 6 July) and curriculum autonomy and flexibility (Decree-Law No. 55/2018 of July 6). In this context, it was intended to identify and analyze approximations and distances between “official” / legal discourses and teachers 'discourses, and to understand implications of these curricular proposals in school daily life and teachers' work. Methodologically, beyond the analysis of legal documents, it was use the Focus Group with teachers, department coordinators, from two School Groupings from the northern region of Portugal. Overall, the results suggest that the approximations focus on the field of principles that underpin inclusive education, namely the principle of attention to student diversity and respect for their learning rhythms. The distances are noted in the field of possibilities of autonomy of teachers / coordinators, namely in their ability to integrate bureaucratic demands with a change in curriculum development processes oriented towards curricular flexibility. Collaborative peer work appears as an important collective action strategy that enhances more inclusive educational practices.