The Pedagogical Lake at E.E. Prof. José Monteiro Boanova, SP: lessons learned from the experience of its construction

Abstract

The State School “José Monteiro Boanova,” located in São Paulo (SP, Brazil), embraces sustainability as one of the pillars of its Political-Pedagogical Project. This text presents the school's context and the process of constructing a pedagogical lake, from its planning in 2021 to its completion in 2022. It also describes the participation of various school community members in an integrated manner throughout the project's development. Finally, it reflects on the lessons learned during the process, which, while highly enriching and innovative, posed several challenges. In addition to serving as an outdoor classroom, the lake functions as a laboratory for sustainable practices and green technologies for students in the Formative Itinerary “My Role in Sustainable Development.” It has also become a pleasant space for contemplation. This article is an account of the experience, based on the active participation of one of the authors throughout the process and on document analysis. It is hoped that it can inspire other schools to create their own pedagogical lakes.