EDUCATION FOR DEATH, A PEDAGOGICAL TRAJECTORY

Abstract

A literature review has permitted to observe that the recommendation to edúcate for death is part of the discourse of
authors such as Boemer (3), Kovacs (18), Torres (27) and in that sense there are initiatives which are attempting to make
possible to prepare subjects aiming situations involving death. Our inquietude in relation to the theme led us to a pedagogical proposal for the participants of the Nursing Auxiliary Course aiming to contémplate aneducation conceming death according to the phenomenological referential particularly the Heideggerian thought. According to Critelli (13), to think about education according to Heidegger demands a preoccupation with educationitself not engaging ourselves exclusively in the elaboration of teaching techniques. The phenomenon education meets its possiblity of realization in the relationship man-man, where we find man-with-other-men in a special manner. It is in this to-be-with-the-others that education finds its opportunity of realization. Our pedagogical proposal was directed to the participants of the Nursing Auxiliary Course, annexed to the hospital where they work as nursing attendants. Such pedagogical action pemeated the course in six different academic moments, that is, moments in which death faced those students and, consideringthis, the students were given texts to read pertinent to life situations potentially found during the training periods. After the reading, the texts were discussed with our participation. In the sixth and last academic moment of this contact we asked the students to write an individual testimony conceming the meaning of this proposal of education for death according to their view. All six academic moments approaching the theme were permeated by questioning and severa! reports of personal experiences burdened by difficuties in dealing with death. The discussions necessarily went through the issue related to assistance which involves all people who take care of the sick. It was shown that the referential of education which guided the pedagogical action was pertinent to the nature of the theme. It was possible for the authors to protect what appeared
essential: the direction of the students to other dimensión of viewing, understanding and interacting in daily work situations in which death is present. With this is mind, it was necessary to create in each encounter an invisible and infinite life experience space.