Challenges for popular educators in times of remote education

reflections based on Freire

Abstract

In 2020, the world was taken aback by the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. Faced with the challenges arising from the health crisis, the Faculty of Education at the University of Brasília sought alternatives to continue the educational actions of an extension project in the area of youth and adult education (EJA). This article aims to understand, based on Freire's concepts of limit situations and untested feasibility, the meanings of the formation and practice of popular educators in 2021, faced with the challenges of remote teaching. The qualitative-based methodology used the action research and experience systematization methods, through interviews and questionnaires conducted with the educators involved in the project. The text dialogues with the contributions of Freire and authors in the area of EJA and teacher training. The article points out the challenges faced in the context of the pandemic, due to the deterioration of living and health conditions, as well as the precarious access to new technologies faced by learners and educators of the project. Furthermore, it shows that the support received by popular educators for the development of pedagogical activities was essential for them to continue persevering in their activities, even in such an uncertain time.