ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND NON-FORMAL EDUCATIONAL SPACES: EXPERIENCES FROM A MOOC COURSE

Abstract

This work presents a segment of the ongoing research from the Professional Doctorate in Science and Mathematics Education at the Federal Institute of Espírito Santo. It is a qualitative case study research that developed a MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) titled: "Guardians of Nature: Environmental Education in Non-Formal Educational Spaces in Early Childhood", aimed at training teachers, pedagogues, and community agents linked to the Tia Anastácia Municipal Early Childhood Education Center, located in Aracruz (ES), to conduct accessible environmental education practices using educational spaces and resources available in the local community. The construction of the MOOC was based on the ADDIEM model. The methodology used was self-instructional, with content provided in text and video formats, organized into three modules, drawing on theoretical contributions from Loureiro (2002, 2004) in the perspective of Environmental Education and Gohn (2006, 2010) on the use of non-formal educational spaces. This article presents the participation of twelve course participants, who completed the course and identified potential non-formal education spaces for developing environmental education projects, establishing existing connections in the community. It is concluded that the MOOC course presents itself as an important tool in teacher training and, in the context used, provided participants with competencies to plan environmental education activities and projects.