As datas comemorativas e as expressões artísticas no ensino fundamental

Abstract

Artistic expressions are a social phenomenon imbricated in human experience - only men produce art and make it something important, "useful", in the preservation of humanity. It is necessary to reflect on man and his educational processes for the conservation and production of culture. Therefore, the central theme of the research deals with the commemorative dates considered essential for the learning of culture, that are used since the moment of literacy until leaving High School. This reflection began concomitantly with my professionalization as a circus and theater teacher, based on the requirement that the school imposes on us, Art teachers, to perform “something to present” on these commemorative dates. From this context, the general objective is to reflect/analyze on the pedagogical use of commemorative dates, seeking to understand whether the artistic expressions used in spectacular activities manifest expressiveness at school. The research was carried out in two elementary schools in the city of Uberaba, MG, with the participation of thirteen teachers, who work with children aged 6 and 7 years old, the focus of the research described here because it is the initial years of elementary school. They answered a form with the following generating questions: (1) What does it mean for you to participate in the “commemorative dates” activity at school; (2) What do the scenic, choreographic, musical performances on commemorative dates mean to you and which teachers should be involved in them? The analysis of the teachers' discourses was carried out according to the phenomenological approach, using the Technique of Elaboration and Analysis of Units of Meaning, enabling the revelation of pedagogical practices and didactic conceptions present in the analyzed phenomenon. The results show that the interviewed teachers understand the commemorative dates as a means of disseminating culture and producing knowledge, however, when analyzing the speeches, the systematic reproduction of the content and didactic form is perceived, using the dates year after year in a superficial and hegemonic way. Consequently, the dates are approached only in the commemorative and festive sense, with the absence of a reflective, critical, historical and aesthetic work, and with the application of artistic expressions (theater; dance; music; plastic arts) with a utilitarian character, merely instrumental, with spectacular ends. In addition, it should reflect on teacher training, because, as evidenced, there is a reproduction of narratives and practices crystallized in the development of commemorative dates content. It is necessary to rethink the curricular organizations of the degrees in Pedagogy and of the subjects that intend to attend to artistic expressions at school.