A DIFERENÇA NA CULTURA ESCOLAR: AUTOBIOGRAFIA DE UMA PROFESSORA DE APOIO

Abstract

The research examines the work of the home-based support teacher within the context of inclusive education. By adopting a hybrid methodological approach—combining autobiographical narrative and data mining—the investigation enables a critical, subjective, and reflective perspective on the teaching experience, grounded in both personal accounts and the analysis of academic sources and pedagogical materials. This methodological strategy positions personal experience at the core of the research process. Through autobiography, which draws on memory, records, and various narrative forms (diaries, interviews, videos), the researcher reconstructs the meaning of pedagogical practice. Reflecting on her experiences, the researcher reinterprets her own personal and professional trajectory. In this way, autobiography becomes an instrument of introspection, critical reflection, and understanding of the sociocultural influences on the teaching–learning process. By investigating the home-based support teacher, the research sheds light on underexplored dimensions—such as the institutional invisibility of this professional—and underscores the importance of more inclusive practices and policies that acknowledge specialized pedagogical support. Through data mining, the author identified a scarcity of studies on home-based support in inclusive education, revealing the erasure of this practice outside formal school environments. This scientific void reflects centralized school structures and policies that overlook inclusive home-based practices. The dissertation proceeds with a critical analysis of medicalization. Due to the excessive use of diagnoses and medications, education tends to pathologize behaviors while ignoring social and pedagogical factors. Schools, even under the banner of inclusion, often function as sites of normalization that may exclude students who do not conform to established norms. The dissertation advocates caution in the use of diagnoses and medications, emphasizing that while health-professional support may be necessary, it must not compromise the complexity of the educational process. Autobiographical inquiry revealed that, in her daily work, the author employed playful activities—mathematical games, mind maps, personalized schedules, creative dynamics—which resonate in her teaching practice with studies in Ethnomathematics and Constructivism. These activities honor each student’s uniqueness, fostering autonomy, self-esteem, and emotional connection. Teaching in inclusive contexts becomes an exercise in improvisation, attentive listening, and co-constructing meanings together, transforming teaching into a shared and affective experience. Acting as a home-based support teacher means mediating between the school and the family, formal education and everyday life, normativity and human plurality. This position highlights a pedagogy of listening, care, and presence, emerging through educators who are sensitive to the specificities of the educational process. Ultimately, it demands a pedagogy that is culturally sensitive to difference.