Admirável ensino médio novo? tensões e desafios na experiência de professores de ciências da natureza no Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of the implementation of the Novo Ensino Médio (New High School Curriculum) on teaching practices, focusing on teachers in the state education network of Rio Grande do Sul. The research is based on the educational reform initiated in 2017 and its implementation from 2022 onwards, highlighting the challenges and contradictions faced by Natural Sciences teachers within this new model. The central objective of the research is to understand the perceptions of Natural Sciences teachers in the state education network of Rio Grande do Sul regarding the changes promoted by the Novo Ensino Médio, analyzing their impacts on the precarization of teaching work, pedagogical autonomy, and professional training. Specifically, it seeks to investigate how the reform has affected working conditions, the institutional mechanisms of control over teaching, and the continuing education policies provided by the State Department of Education of Rio Grande do Sul. Methodologically, this is a qualitative exploratory study, conducted as a case study. Data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews with Physics, Chemistry, and Biology teachers working in the state high school system. The research corpus, represented by the transcriptions of the interviews, was analyzed using Discursive Textual Analysis, enabling the construction of emergent categories. The main findings indicate that teachers face an overload and intensification of work, coupled with the increasing bureaucratization of pedagogical practice. Teacher autonomy is constrained by control mechanisms, revealing an illusory autonomy, in which teachers appear to have methodological freedom, but in practice must comply with unclear and frequently changing guidelines. Furthermore, the continuing education offered by the State Department of Education has proven to be insufficient and unstructured, often based on generic materials, lacking effective support for pedagogical practice and placing the responsibility for professional development solely on the teachers themselves.The conclusions indicate that the implementation of the Novo Ensino Médio in Rio Grande do Sul has been disorganized and imposed hierarchically, further precarizing teaching work and compromising the quality of public education. Given this scenario, a broader debate on teachers' working conditions and a restructuring of continuing education policies are necessary to ensure better support for educators. This research contributes to a critical understanding of the reform and suggests the need for an educational model that considers the real demands of public schools and values teachers' roles in shaping public policies.