Innovative Inclusive Practices in High School for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Keywords: Collaborative research. Teacher training. Pedagogical practices. High school. Students with ASD
This research currently under development within the Graduate Program in Inclusive Education (PROFEI) at the Federal University of Rondonia in Ji-Parana (UNIR), is part of Research Line III - Educator Training Practices and Processes for Inclusive Education. The inclusion of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a challenge for elementary school teachers, especially in high school, where these students are relatively new. Among the factors cited by research teachers, both the problem and the solution involve initial and continuing in-service training. In this context, the research raises the question: How can continuing in-service training, from the perspective of collaborative research, contribute to the development of inclusive pedagogical practices by high school teachers, aimed at students with ASD? Its objective is to analyze the development of training initiatives with high school teachers based on the needs experienced in the process of including students with ASD. In this context, the theoretical and methodological basis is the assumptions of Ibiapina (2016) and Magalhaes (2000), both in collaborative research; Imbernon (2022) in teacher training; Mendes (2023) in innovative inclusive practices; Carneiro (2016) in continuing education in service; and Bardin (2009) in content analysis. The method used is collaborative research and involved high school teachers from a state school in the city of Vilhena, Rondonia. Data collection consists of four phases: awareness raising; assessment of training needs; development of a training program; and final evaluation, using the focus group, recorded reflective sessions, a guide of key questions, and collaborative work in the school environment. Through content analysis, the results were organized into categories based on the four phases of data collection. As expected, continuing in-service training provided new ways of thinking about inclusion and led teachers to discover or create innovative pedagogical practices aimed at improving the teaching and learning processes of students with ASD in high school.