The Intercultural Approach in Tikuna Amazonas Indigenous Schools: Teaching Chemistry

Abstract:

This article is part of doctoral work that sought to understand the teaching of chemistry in Tikuna schools of Amazonas and their claims, in order to ensure that this teaching is intercultural. A field study was carried out for six months in the region of Alto Solimões, Amazonas, Brazil, when the school routine of Tikuna teachers was observed in the area of chemistry, with the intention of understanding the teaching approach, planning, teachers' interests and challenges. In addition, teachers were interviewed, and shared the purposes and challenges of making chemistry teaching intercultural. The results show that, in Tikuna schools, the teaching of chemistry reproduces the passivity, the centrality of knowledge in teachers, and massive teaching. During the interview, the indigenous people understand that the teaching of differential and intercultural chemistry will only take place when traditional knowledge is integrated into the school, in a way that is articulated with global knowledge.

Keywords:
Intercultural education; Science education; Indigenous school education; Chemistry teaching