Abstract
This research, in the area of art education, had as its object of study the use of comic books in the classroom, as an experience of continuing education in visual arts with teachers from the Francisco Xavier de Freitas Municipal Elementary School (EMEF), in Horizonte, Ceará. The starting point for its implementation was the following question: what is the perception of teachers about the Art component, based on a visual arts education whose methodology uses comic books? Thus, the general objective was to investigate the perceptions and representations about the Art component by teachers from EMEF Francisco Xavier de Freitas, followed by training in the mini-course modality, on the possibilities of teaching visual arts through the use of comic books in the classroom. As a theoretical reference, the research used authors such as Ferraz and Fusari, Barbosa, Brandão, Eisner, among others. As a methodological contribution, Barbosa's studies and concepts on the Triangular Approach (TA), whose systematization occurred in the 1980s, were important. It is worth noting that the Triangular Approach was essential for the organization and execution of this work. For data collection, two questionnaires were applied: the first, written, and the second, online, via WhatsApp, in addition to photographic and video records obtained on the day of the practical execution of the mini-course. Data analysis was carried out based on the reading of images proposed by Barbosa, after the completion of the training. In the research findings, it was observed that most teachers understand the meaning of art, but the view of art as a field of practice still prevails, in a technical way. Art teaching has changed little in relation to the period in which the teachers were students, as they continue to repeat the practices learned in the classroom. None of the teachers had any training in the arts, and most mentioned that the Art component was undervalued, since they did not receive training or guidance on how to teach art classes, unlike other subjects, which receive specific training and guidance. It was found that, after the mini-course, there was a change in the teachers' perception of how to teach art classes, especially in the visual arts. One of the teachers immediately used comics with the students, while others stated that, after the training, they began to adopt new strategies to explore the arts in the classroom. It was concluded that it is urgent to implement ongoing training for teachers who teach the Art component in the municipality of Horizonte, covering all basic education. In addition, schools need to be more sensitive to the relevance of the arts for the development of students, both in the cognitive and in the sensitive and aesthetic aspects. Investing in ongoing training for art teachers is essential, because through art classes, teachers can adopt an interdisciplinary approach, using comics and AT, which has a positive impact on student learning and improves the teaching of other subjects, without the need to cut back on time dedicated to the Art curricular component.