Diversidade epistemológica no ensino de Astronomia: um material de estudos para professores envolvendo conhecimentos Guarani sobre o céu

Abstract

We present a material for teachers’ study, that is based on, and as a purpose, the promotion of appreciation and respect for epistemological diversity, within the classroom. Our study uses as theoretical foundations: conceptual elements of the humanistic approach to the Teaching of Astronomy, in particular respect for epistemological diversity, and the appreciation of the experience of heaven; national and international movements for the valorization of autochthony, as systematized by the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, proclaimed by UNESCO in 2002 and Law 11645/2008; studies of indigenous Ethnology, specifically the anthropological theory entitled Amerindian Perspectivism, a rich source of the exercise of knowledge of new epistemological matrices; ethnographic reports of Guarani indigenous knowledge about the sky and, more punctually, our own field research about the knowledge about the sky of the Mendonça in RN. The study material is structured in three modules: The skies and cultures, in which we reflect on the importance of including indigenous knowledge in Astronomy education; Cultures and looks, which seeks an exercise in looking at other cultures, identifying epistemologies different from ours, through the study of perspectivism, anthropological theory about the worldview of diverse Amerindian peoples; and Heaven and Guarani culture, in which we seek to foster knowledge, the experience and the exploration of strategies and materials on traditional Guarani knowledge, especially the earth-sky relationship established by these peoples with the Moon and the constellations / asterisms, to be taken to Basic Education classrooms.