University extension as a space for teacher training: A curricular perspective in ethnic studies

Abstract

This article aims to evaluate university extension as a space for teacher education, the promotion of professional development, and the dissemination and production of knowledge in the field of education on ethnic-racial relations. This is a descriptive-analytical, qualitative, bibliographical, and documentary research study. The main research instruments are reports from a teacher training course offered by the Federal University of Paraíba to 67 participants during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic via Google Classroom. The data show that (1) the medium-term duration of the course helped in the process of deconstruction and redefinition of knowledge, and (2) the need for ongoing training efforts from a decolonial perspective, to foster understanding and appreciation of multicultural diversity, recognition and valorization of the knowledge of silenced peoples in Brazil, and the emergence of a curriculum based on relationships. In this way, the medium-term extension course has established itself as a space for professional development and the meaningful construction of knowledge in the education of ethnic-racial relations.