Introduction

When discussing youth and adult education (YAE), it is inevitable that one will consider diversity. The classroom that serves this type of teaching is full of different cultures, life stories, social classes, ages, among other matters, according to ^{Martins and Veigas (Martins et al., 2017}). Thus, it is necessary to reflect deeply about the methodologies used in YAE, as we consider that the students’ profile is not the same as it was ten or 15 years ago.

According to the Brazilian Yearbook of Basic Education (2018), a panorama is presented from 2007 to 2016, which shows those enrolled in YAE in elementary school by age group; it is possible to conclude that there is a decrease in enrollment, particularly in the age group from 30 to 59, which is visibly decreased. As for those enrolled from 15 to 17 years old, there is stability: there were more than 500,000 in 2007 and a little less than that in 2016 (^{Cruz, & Monteiro, 2018}). That leads to some concerns regarding these young people, who are forming a new profile for YAE. In the case of high school, we noticed that enrollments for the age group between 30 and 59 decreased, and there was a slight increase in enrollment between 18 and 23.

^{Machado’s research (2016}) involved a study about educational policies regarding YAE in in the last 20 years and shows the clear loss of identity of a model for workers, which according to the author, should be assumed by them and by society as a whole, to involve the State as a proponent of the educational policy and the commitment of employers, unions and institutions that train educators in a coordinated action (Machado, 2016). In this resepct, it is necessary to take into account the resolution of the Goiás State Council, N.08 of December 9, 2016, which regulates the supply of YAE in the educational system of Goiás, and resolves in section II, article 2, item I that: Minimum age of 15 (fifteen) years for enrollment into elementary education in its face-to-face format and 18 (eighteen) years for enrollment into elementary education in distance education and high school, whether in face-to-face or in distance education (^{Conselho Estadual de Educação de Goiás, 2016}).

Thus, it is understood that the YAE maintains the corrective character created by society and receives many young people who are unable to complete their studies in regular school for various reasons. To enable them to do so, the challenge is to offer more attractive learning in educating young people and adults; we agree with ^{Martins et al. (2017}) when they state that active learning methodologies are like a proposal for education to provide greater autonomy to the student, making him or her an active student, the center of the teaching-learning process (Martins et al., 2017). The active methodologies allow the engagement and participation in knowledge building (^{Fernández Guerra et al., 2019}; ^{Galvão et al., 2020}; ^{Galvão et al., 2021}), improving student performance (^{Aji, & Khan, 2019}) and enables student protagonism in the learning process (^{Silva et al., 2020}). According to ^{Romão, & Gadotti (2007}), the YAE for the Hamburg Declaration proposes to seek development in the entire learning process, whereby people who are considered adults by society can develop their skills, enrich their knowledge, and perfect their technical and professional qualifications (Romão, & Gadotti, 2007).

The power of education is then understood to change humans, who in turn change the society in which they live. In this sense, we cannot think about education today and not think about changes regarding teaching-learning. ^{Gadotti (2009}) corroborates the principle that education is teaching and learning, not just learning (Gadotti, 2009). When we understand the student as the center of this process, we consider the importance of reflecting the pedagogical practice used in the education of young people and adults. As such, making the apprentice the only one responsible for his or her learning devalues the role of the teacher. According to Gadotti, when talking about centrality in relation to learning, the importance of learning is emphasized, especially in a country like Brazil, which is not very concerned with the student’s right to learn at school (Gadotti, 2009). The right to education is not limited to access, but still reiterates that learning, in the neoliberal perspective, highlights only so-called useful knowledge and the individual and competitive aspects of learning (Gadotti, 2009).

When analyzing Gadotti, we understand him to be discussing the need to build a close relationship with the YAE student, which provides interaction and a relationship of trust and respect, as the YAE receives people, who, in most cases, work during the day and study at night. We understand that work, in this case, has a fundamental role in the lives of these people, and that it acts, in some cases, as a bridge for them to return to school or to carry on with their studies.

The world of work represents social change and new perspectives, and through education it is possible to promote the conditions for building transformative pedagogical practices that combine the experiences brought by YAE students and their interests as workers or future workers. Consolidated in the ideas of ^{Freire (1996}), in which the teacher needs to analyze the impacts of his or her educational practices and the student is able to combine study and work, it is not only the responsibility of the teachers but also of managers to promote teaching methodologies that shape teaching-learning in a stimulating and attractive format that can motivate students (Freire, 1996).

In this context of changes in the profile of YAE, of changes in methodological concepts, and changes in the world of work (^{Antunes, & Alves, 2004}), we understand that integral human development must be preserved. In this perspective, the teaching objectives of YAE cannot be simply pragmatic and follow the new market economic requirements (^{Almeida, & Corso, 2015}). We also understand that the contradictions of capitalist society marked by structural duality present an education that can offer professional qualifications, although many courses are characterized by quickened training and do not stimulate students in understanding the incongruities of the society in which they are living.

This experience report seeks to contribute to these issues taking new shapes. Through active methodologies of learning, in this case specifically of Station Rotation (SR), which is suitable for students who are behind academically and need academic growth (^{Fazal, & Bryant, 2019}). Thus, it will provide the YAE student with the opportunity to experience a differentiated teaching-learning format that seeks to personalize education. The formal learning is at an impasse in the face of so many changes in society: how to evolve it to make it relevant and get everyone to learn efficiently in order for them to know, to build their life projects and to live together with others.

The processes of organizing curriculums, methodologies, times and spaces need to be reviewed (^{Morán, 2015}). Following the words of Moran in an attempt to build an education that meets the needs of students in their particularities. Thus, this study’s objective is to suggest AM as a means of collaborating with the quality of teaching-learning and contributing to students becoming autonomous, aware of their duties, and especially of their rights.

Methodological Path

This work is an experience report, which presents the results of the research using a qualitative approach (^{Provdanov, & Freitas, 2013}); it is applied as a pedagogical practice (PP), as an instrument for change, and to transform paradigms. This way, was organized the PP by different stages: getting the authorization to carry out the PP with the YAE Director of the municipality, having a conversation with the coordinating teacher, two days of observation and two days of practice were carried out, both in the classroom. The PP was held at a municipal school in the city of Caldas Novas in the first semester of 2019, on May 27th and 28th. The researched school is one of the centers that offered the YAE modality in the municipality and served 112 night-shift students in 2019. To this end, the third and fourth semester classes of the second segment were selected for the PP, as they involved inclusion students--two students with intellectual disabilities. The Portuguese language classes were kindly given to allow the activity to be carried out with a total of 28 students.

For this experience and its considerations to be treated in a contextualized way and supported scientifically by the theories of the proposed theme, was used the experience report for this work. In this way, we reported the steps taken for the PP to be successful in the classroom. The first step was to talk to the Portuguese-language coordinating teacher, who for reasons of anonymity will be called T1, and draw a parallel between the content that was already proposed for his classes and the objectives listed by the researcher.

Thus, was chose to work on the textual genres: comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, and comic books, being careful to meet a concern on the part of T1 regarding the reading, writing, and text-interpretation difficulties of the class in question. Was sought to promote the development of the learning expectations through these textual genres, with a focus on expanding the capacity of young people and adults’ social participation in the exercise of citizenship, which is constituted by practicing the language.

Having the content targeted and the problem raised, we found in the AM a source for providing a motivating PP that could meet both the students’ desires and skills, and promote the gradual integration of innovations that would break with the vertical, authoritarian and uniform model of learning (^{Morán, 2015}). According to Moran, formal learning is increasingly blended, mixed and hybrid, because it does not happen only in the physical space of the classroom, but in the multiple spaces of everyday life, including digital ones (Morán, 2015).

For this to actually happen however, we still faced some structural problems. In the school chosen for the PP, there is a disconnection between the regular school and the education of young people and adults. They do not engage in dialog with each other, to the extent that spaces such as the library and the computer lab are locked during the YAE class period.

However, hybrid teaching does not mean that the teacher will not continue communicating face-to-face with students (^{Morán, 2015}). The teacher needs to find a balance between digital, mobile technologies and interaction with each and every student (Morán, 2015) With that in mind, we found teaching possibilities in SR to carry out a PP that would meet the objectives of the AM.

The teaching by SR is classified in the model of hybrid sustaining innovations (^{Christensen et al., 2013}). This way, the sustaining models incorporate the main characteristics of both the traditional classroom and online teaching, that is, they seek to offer the advantages of the online world combined with the benefits of the traditional classroom. The authors mentioned above define the categories of hybrid education programs that are emerging in the North American education sector according to “classifying K−12 blended learning” (Christensen et al., 2013, p. 26). We highlight here the rotation model, is the one in which within a course or subject (e.g., mathematics), students take turns between teaching modalities in a fixed schedule or at the discretion of the teacher, with at least one modality being online teaching. Other modalities may include activities such as lessons in small groups or complete classes, group work, individual tutoring and written assignments. The rotation model has four sub-models: Station Rotation, Lab Rotation, Flipped Classroom and Individual Rotation (Christensen et al., 2013).

In this way, the model that has sustaining characteristics seeks to meet the needs of the students for that moment combined with the reality of the school unit, both in relation to didactic resources and infrastructure. Thus, we agree with Moran when stating that theorists like Dewey (1950; Freire, 2009; Rogers, 1973; Novack, 1999, citados por Morán, 2015) among others, have long emphasized the importance of overcoming the banking model of traditional education, in favor of student learning that comprises involvement, motivation, and dialogue with the student (Morán, 2015).

These principles move us to search for new ways to promote teaching-learning, to reach more students, to motivate them to continue, to transform themselves, and to be the transformation of an autonomous society, which understands its role as an active one. The PP was divided into two stages: the first was the observation of two classes taught by the Portuguese language teacher. The other two classes were the PP conducted by the researcher.

After applying the PP, the students were given an open questionnaire to get to know them better, and a semi-structured questionnaire so that they could contribute opinions on how the PP was for them. An open questionnaire was also prepared for the coordinating teacher and another for the support teacher of the inclusion students.

The data obtained from the students’ questionnaire and the teachers’ questionnaire were analyzed in a discursive manner, according to the theoretical bases listed in this study. Thus the use of the first person in this text was based on Volpato, as this supports the presence of the researchers, from whom the interpretation of the data collected comes, thereby acknowledging it cannot be the same for everyone (^{Volpato, 2015}). The data alone does not determine the conclusions (^{Silveira et al, 2022}). They are ‘read’ by scientists in order to draw conclusions.

Results and discussion

Second stage

The first PP class took place on May 27, 2019 and was designed based on the issues related to the difficulty of writing, reading, and interpreting texts. Sixteen students participated in this class and the content that was worked on was textual genre: comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, and comic books. To this end, the researcher chose to carry out a first intervention, which presented the proposed subject and sought to create a bond with the students. The work with textual genres at school has become an imperative, given the understanding that the students need to effectively and competently exercise their reading and writing skills (^{Vargas, & Magalhães 2011}).

The activity proposed for the first PP started with the T1 explaining that the class would be different, and would be conducted together with the researcher who was watching the class on other occasions. The researcher spoke to the students about the proposed activity, already addressing the theme of the class and then invited the students to carry out the following exercise: I would like you to tell me what comes to your mind or whatever you remember when we speak of textual genre. The students started talking and, with the help of the T1, managed to remember several concepts, as they were already familiar with the theme.

It was then proposed that the class be divided into four groups with each group having four people. At this point, when dividing the groups, there was a little confusion, which was soon remedied once again with the help of the T1. The students wanted to maintain the usual groups, the cliques according to the T1, but as there were only four people per group, they had to come to an agreement and managed to organize themselves. Specifically, there were 18 students on that day; however, two were participating in the rehearsal of the June festivities, one of whom was from inclusive education.

Each group chose a leader and each leader chose a banner with the color blue, green, yellow, or red to participate in the dice game of the textual genres. The leader had to roll the dice, which had four faces with the names: comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, or comic books, and when falling on the carpet, had the same colors as the banners chosen by the group; this showed the textual genre and which group would talk about that genre. When the dice game started, one of the students quickly realized that when throwing the dice, the same genre could fall repeatedly and this would cause a delay in the choice of themes.

Thus, one student suggested: the side that is the closest when falling on the carpet would be the one that the group would take. Everyone agreed. Thus, each leader rolled the dice and the groups found out about their themes, which were: green group -comic strips, red group- comic books, yellow group -caricatures and blue group- cartoons. The groups had ten minutes to research the main characteristics of each genre, and they used the internet from their cell phones for that. In this sense, the research of (^{Barreto, & Oliveira, 2019}) shows that the game is ludic and has explicit rules previously established (Barreto, & Oliveira, 2019). This way, the game proposed in this stage of the PP proved able to achieve the objective intended for that moment, according to the context. In Figure 1 it is observed a dice game of the textual genres used in the first PP.

Note: Images are from the research file

Figure 1: Dice game of the textual genres used in the first PP 

As the class had what was needed to start the research, the student who had access to the internet offered his cell phone and shared the result with his research group, in addition to selecting who would write down the results. Students engagement is in line with the fact that games can be a good solution to help solve participation issues in the classroom (^{Kim et al., 2018}).

However, for this activity, the student with SEN did not participate, claiming that he had forgotten his glasses at home and without them I cannot read; I get a very bad headache. He sat down by the T1 and watched the class. Not participating also occured with another student, who, according to the inclusion support teacher (ST), had learning difficulties, despite not having a report on these and never presenting specific complaints. In Figure 2 it is observed the groups conducting the research on the testual genres.

The evaluation of the teaching-learning process was observed when the groups researched and asked questions, both among the group’s colleagues and with the researcher. It was possible to confirm that the group work strengthens the teaching-learning process when reporting the response of student S11 on the questionnaire: Everything was good because everybody work together with the classmates. According to ^{Freire (1996}), teaching lies in the act of appropriating reality, and it is possible to notice this appropriation through the exchange of knowledge. However, it was noticed that the students did not filter the internet searches and used the first result that appeared on the search website; this required a closer look to guide them regarding the use of search engines for research. As for using games as teaching-learning tools, it was possible to notice that they caused the ability to interact in the subjects, to participate, and to build knowledge themselves. Working with games provided an environment of mutual help, fun, security, confidence, encouragement and motivation (^{Barreto, & Oliveira, 2019}).

Thus, they wrote down the characteristics and soon leaders were invited to come forward to tell their colleagues what they found in the research. The students showed some difficulty in reading and a certain shyness, but they did well when encouraged to do so by the researcher. This first part of the PP took place in the last time slot of the class, when some students were already tired and sleepy, but they managed to understand what the proposal was and the content it covered. In Figure 3 it is observed leaders talking to colleagues about the characteristics of each textual genre researched.

Note: Images are from the research file

Figure 3: Leaders talking to colleagues about the characteristics of each textual genre researched 

The bell rang and the last leader had not yet said what his group was able to find out about comic books. The students were in a hurry to leave, but the T1 intervened: he heard all the other group leaders, now you wait a while for him to speak too. The students then waited until the classmate indicated to the class what his group had found in their research. The class ended with the researcher thanking them and reminding everyone that she would continue with the PP in the next class.

This first stage of PP reinforces what ^{Nascimento Júnior, & Nascimento (2018}) explain in their work: The teacher who uses the active method does not take the students to handle the objects nor uses the inductive method, which is very common in technicist proposals. The inductive method, used in programmed studies, was seen by Piaget as an update on the way of using transmission. He also criticized the simple use of audiovisual presentations, as this tool would not guarantee an action by the student if it were not mediated by the teacher (Nascimento Júnior, & Nascimento, 2018).

The second day of PP took place on the May 28, 2019 in the presence of the mathematics teacher, who gave up the second time slot so that the Portuguese language class could be longer. The researcher arrived at the school a few minutes early to organize the classroom, as teaching by SR must be planned and organized so that students can understand the mechanisms of its operation. The room was again divided into four groups of five students, who found the guidelines that they should follow at each station.

The researcher directed the students as they arrived to organize themselves, maintaining the same groups from the previous class. The chairs were already organized in stations along with the guidelines and materials that would be used. When the class started, the researcher spoke about what PP would be like that day, emphasizing that the groups would have 20 minutes to carry out the activities proposed at the stations with the textual genre central theme (comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, and comic books) and that at the teacher/researcher’s signal, the groups should rotate through the stations.

At first, some students were out of the stations, and showed a little resistance to start the activities; the T1, who also followed this PP, interfered: come on guys, it’s worth two points... (laughs); let’s go, or else there won’t be time to finish. Thus, the students went to the stations and started to realize that the PP would be different from the previous class. At this point, it was noticed that they still felt a little uncomfortable about presenting their work in front of the class because one of the students asked: oh teacher, today we don’t have to go in front to talk, right? Again, it was clarified how the proposed activities would be carried out and we managed to continue with the AM.

In station 1, the students had a video that was proposed taken by the researcher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saf9VuGygSo, after watching, they would have a debate with their colleagues to highlight what they found most relevant in the video. There was an issue with the audio at this station, as the students are used to talking loudly, making it difficult for people who needed to hear to understand, but the students themselves resolved that by saying: guys, speak quietly there!. In Figure 4 it is observed the station 01.

Note: Images are from the research file

Figure 4: Station 01: Video and debate proposed as activities to be carried out 

The debate here was about the issue of learning difficulties found by the main character of the video presented at the station. The character talks about his life in an illustrated way, as in a comic book, starting from his birth, going through school age, outlining his difficulties, until he managed to start a career as a comic book artist. The purpose of this station was with the issue of the students’ self-esteem, because through it, they realized that learning difficulties can happen to anyone. In addition, we used the report of a student, identified as S5, from the questionnaire: Yes, I liked it a lot, especially the video; for me, it’s easier to understand, because I have difficulties reading texts and I can’t interpret them. I count on the help of the support teacher.

In station 2, there was a box decorated with comic books, which was called a surprise box, and it contained the textual genres covered. The students needed to organize and separate them according to their characteristics as comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, or comic books. Then, the guidelines proposed that they discuss the differences perceived in each of the genres available in the station. In this respect, it was noticed that the students had difficulty in separating the textual types in the station, as S1’s report pointed out when answering whether they had any difficulty in carrying out the proposed activity: Yes, only in separating the figures, comic books, cartoons, and caricatures, the rest was easy. In Figure 5 it is observed the station 02.

Note: Images are from the research file

Figure 5: Station 02: Surprise box containing textual genres: comic strips, cartoons, caricatures, and comic books 

At the station described above, it was noticed that the students understood the difference between comic strips and comic books; their doubts were always between cartoons and caricatures. Thus, when they were going to separate these two genres, they always called the researcher to clarify their doubts; through questioning, it was possible to lead them to conclusions that identified those genres.

Station 3 proposed that the students produced their own comic strip using creativity and the materials available in the station i.e., pencils, coloring pencils, rubber, crayons, scissors, glue, magazines, balloons, and printed onomatopoeias and A4 sheets. The materials were arranged at the station to reflect the different possibilities and skills of the students for creating comic strips, as the main characteristic of the AM is the personalization of teaching-learning. We found in the report of S9, which clarifies the difficulties that the student found when carrying out the activities: Yes. Having to draw; it is not easy for me to draw. In Figure 6 it is observed the station 03.

For the students to really understand the characteristics of a comic strip, each group that asked for the researcher’s help was given a question, an instigation or prompt, until they could find the answer to the problem. Some students were able to use the cell phone as a research tool to answer questions about the meaning of the words onomatopoeia and kinetic figures, thus showing depth in the research and curiosity in relation to the words presented at this station. Stimulating curiosity about the use of station rotation was also mentioned in a survey of Indonesian students (Mahalli et al., 2019).

The groups managed to rotate through all stations with ease. There was interaction between the students, the researcher, and the T1, collaborative work, and the use of technologies. That was noticed in the T1’s report: they liked it, they are even taking pictures!, this behavior was also reported by American students, as they pointed out as one of the positive points the fact that this method allows fun in learning (^{Truitt, & Ku, 2018}).

It was found that the student with special needs who did not participate in the first day’s activity, participated in the SR, performed all the proposed activities, and made his own comic strip, showing pleasure and involvement. About the station rotation method, a recent study showed that this model has a positive impact on student performance (^{Aristizabal-Almanza et al., 2018}; ^{Ayob, Halim, & Zulkifli, 2020}; ^Ayob, Halim, Zulkifli, Zaid et al., 2020). And that your application in differentiated classes is capable of promoting higher-order thinking skills in students, including students with special needs such as concentration and learning difficulties (^{Soselisa et al., 2019}). The conclusion was that the main activities of the active methodologies could be offered to the students according to the structural reality of the researched school unit, as well as confirming that the AM should be integrated gradually, both into the classroom and the continuing training of the teachers.

Final considerations

The practice developed for the practice module in professional education technologies brought reflections regarding the personalization of the teaching in the education of young people and adults, as the subjects that compose the YAE classroom are greatly diverse and deserve quality teaching-learning that is able to promote the permanence and completion of these students’ education.

Another point that was later observed by the researcher was regarding the issue of interdisciplinarity, as they could have invited teachers of other subjects for this practice, as the art teacher noted when she saw the comic strips drawn by the students. A next practice may involve thinking more carefully about interdisciplinarity and organizing a schedule so that the application of SR is even more effective.

For this to happen, collective work is required, where management and teachers move in the same direction to provide emancipatory education, thereby forming autonomous, reflective citizens who are capable of understanding the world.

Contribution Statement

The authors declare they have contributed in the following roles: R. A. D. S. contributed to the writing of the article; the management of the research process; obtaining funds, resources and technological support and the development of the research. C. M. F. contributed to the writing of the article; the management of the research process; obtaining funds, resources and technological support and the development of the research. R. M. F. S. contributed to the writing of the article; the management of the research process; obtaining funds, resources and technological support and the development of the research. J. C. F. contributed to the writing of the article; the management of the research process; obtaining funds, resources and technological support and the development of the research. M. N. contributed to the writing of the article; the management of the research process; obtaining funds, resources and technological support and the development of the research.