A Tecnologia Social e sua Contribuição para a Educação em Ciências

Social Technology is characterized as a product, technique and/or methodology that can be reapplied and is developed with the participation of the community to solve social/socio-environmental problems. In this sense, we investigate the appropriation of some theoretical and methodological assumptions of Social Technology by the subjects of the local and school community, who participated in the selection and implementation of a Social Technology, in search of overcoming a local demand in the Iguape community, in the municipality of Ilheus, in the state of Bahia in Brazil. Methodologically, the research was organized in two stages: a) meeting with the residents of the Iguape neighborhood to discuss the local socio-environmental demand and select a Social Technology; b) construction of an Ecological Septic Tank in the community in collaboration with residents. Data were collected through video recordings made during the meetings and tank implementation; also through semi-structured interviews with the residents who participated in the entire process. The analysis was performed through Discursive Textual Analysis, having as reference two categories a priori: i) co-learning and reapplication; and ii) decision-making and autonomy processes. Among the results, we found that the construction of the Ecological Septic Tank made possible the integration between popular and scientific knowledge, enabling the reapplication of Social Technology in the local community, in addition to the socio-technical transformation, which took place through a collaborative process. Finally, we point out that Social Technology has a significant potential to contribute in the selection of contents and knowledge for the school curriculum, involving contents such as from the Natural Sciences field.