Abstract

Opening words

Cordel, a written poem published in the form of a booklet and illustrated with woodcut prints, with its simple, musical, playful, imagistic language and based on popular rhyming structures organized into stanzas (quatrains, sextets, sevenths and tenths) demonstrates its lyrical strength, its poetry and its capacity for expression as a cultural manifestation through its power to versify the world¹1 Santos VM. Literatura de cordel: uma possibilidade pedagógica na prática do cotidiano curricular e cultural da educação de jovens e adultos. Rev Confluencias Cult. 2013; 2(2):17-26. doi: 10.21726/rcc.v2i2.549.
https://doi.org/10.21726/rcc.v2i2.549... ^,22 Gonçalves MA. Imagem - palavra: a produção do cordel contemporâneo. Sociol Antropol. 2011; 1(2):219-34. doi: 10.1590/2238-38752011v1210.
https://doi.org/10.1590/2238-38752011v12... .

Until recently, cordel poetry was restricted to audiences in the Northeast of Brazil, a scenario that has changed as printed pamphlet literature has, over time, gained new configurations and adaptations in its format with digital versions, broadcast on social media and networks, making these poetic creations known and accepted nationwide, spreading throughout the country³3 Silva AM. A trajetória da literatura de cordel no Brasil: das feiras às mídias digitais. Verbum. 2023; 12(2):6-31. doi: 10.23925/2316-3267.2023v12i2p6-31.
https://doi.org/10.23925/2316-3267.2023v... .

This literary genre has been used in the teaching-learning process in various areas of knowledge and for different audiences, from basic education (early childhood education, primary education and secondary education), to youth and adult education, to higher education (undergraduate and postgraduate), although at this level its use is still scarce and with few thematic incursions⁴4 Siqueira EC, Matamoros JA, Cruz CBV. Uso da literatura de cordel para explicar a metodologia ativa aprendizagem baseada em problemas. Rev Cienc Ideias. 2020; 11(2):257-6. doi: 10.22407/2176-1477/2020.v11i2.1188.
https://doi.org/10.22407/2176-1477/2020.... .

Specifically in the area of health, the cordel has emerged as an educational technology for prevention and health promotion, health education, continuing and/or permanent education, popular health education and a vehicle for communication and dissemination of knowledge and/or information in health with applicability in various scenarios, contexts, audiences and varied thematic approaches, being presented either as an end-product or as a means with the aim of subsidizing the development of other technologies.

Although to a lesser extent, it has been used as a strategy to mediate the teaching-learning process, thus contributing to the innovation of didactic-pedagogical practices. Pedagogical innovation is the act of creating, adapting and re-adapting techniques or technologies in order to add value to the teaching-learning process⁵5 Sobrinho JF Jr, Mesquita NAS. Inovação pedagógica: concepções que orbitam este conceito. Reflexao Açao. 2022; 30(2):212-26. doi: 10.17058/rea.v30i2.17159.
https://doi.org/10.17058/rea.v30i2.17159... , which in the health area, due to its dynamic nature, is constantly changing⁶6 Veiga GA, Araújo MC, Cauduro FLF, Andrade J. Metodologia ativa no estágio supervisionado de enfermagem: inovação na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Rev Baiana Enferm. 2020; 34:e34857. doi: 10.18471/rbe.v34.34857.
https://doi.org/10.18471/rbe.v34.34857... .

This aspect is especially relevant in the field of Collective Health as an interdisciplinary field and nucleus of confluence of knowledge and practices that articulates knowledge from disciplines - such as 1) epidemiology, 2) health policy, planning and management and 3) the social and human sciences in health - which are essential to understanding the health-disease-care process and therefore need to be elucidated and worked on in training processes⁷7 Scarcelli IR, Rivera MFA, Valentim ACMSF, Lima NP, Martins AA. Saúde coletiva e psicologia social da práxis: um caminho interdisciplinar como metaformação na pós-graduação. Saude Debate. 2022; 46(135):1139-50. doi: 10.1590/0103-1104202213513.
https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-11042022135... ^,88 Mendes RS, Anunciação KCOS, Fonseca BS, Silva JA, Salvador PTCO. Uso de estratégias inovadoras no ensino da Saúde Coletiva nas graduações da área da Saúde: uma revisão de escopo. Interface (Botucatu). 2024; 28:e230225. doi: 10.1590/interface.230225.
https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.230225... .

A scoping review⁸8 Mendes RS, Anunciação KCOS, Fonseca BS, Silva JA, Salvador PTCO. Uso de estratégias inovadoras no ensino da Saúde Coletiva nas graduações da área da Saúde: uma revisão de escopo. Interface (Botucatu). 2024; 28:e230225. doi: 10.1590/interface.230225.
https://doi.org/10.1590/interface.230225... that mapped strategies used in teaching Collective Health in undergraduate courses in the area identified the use of various modalities considered alternative and/or innovative, predominantly inserted in the theoretical context, in the dialogical field and in the development of critical-reflective knowledge.

Despite the predominance of alternative and/or innovative strategies aimed at theoretical teaching, students have difficulty understanding basic concepts. Studies⁹9 Ivo AMS, Malta DC, Freitas MIF. Modos de pensar dos profissionais do Programa Academia da Saúde sobre saúde e doença e suas implicações nas ações de promoção de saúde. Physis. 2019; 29(1):e290110. doi: 10.1590/S0103-73312019290110.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-7331201929... ^,1010 Ferrari CKB. Por que respondemos mal à pandemia de covid-19? Transformações necessárias nos saberes docentes da saúde. Rev Human Inov. 2021; 8(45):185-96. point out that many graduates from higher education in health have only a basic understanding of Public Health and Collective Health due to the absence or scarcity of these two dimensions in the curricula, and discussions about training and qualification of professionals are often limited to filling gaps in clinical training according to the biomedical model of understanding health and disease.

In this sense, strategies that aim to present, discuss, reflect, simplify and, at the same time, make learning active, among which cordel literature stands out, can be useful and more effective than more traditional teaching methods, by increasing students’ understanding of complex concepts or those that are more difficult to grasp¹¹11 Belém JM, Silva MRF. Estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem em saúde coletiva nos cursos de graduação em enfermagem, medicina e odontologia no Brasil: revisão de mapeamento. Rev Atençao Saude. 2024; 22:e20249680-0. doi: 10.13037/ras.vol22.e20249680.
https://doi.org/10.13037/ras.vol22.e2024... , using a simpler and more attractive form and language.

In this sense, the cordel, with its own style, makes it possible to hear in a different way what is already known in other languages - such as scientific, for example - broadening the ways of apprehending reality and its meaning, deriving different sensory and aesthetic perceptions²2 Gonçalves MA. Imagem - palavra: a produção do cordel contemporâneo. Sociol Antropol. 2011; 1(2):219-34. doi: 10.1590/2238-38752011v1210.
https://doi.org/10.1590/2238-38752011v12... . Despite this, a mapping review¹¹11 Belém JM, Silva MRF. Estratégias de ensino-aprendizagem em saúde coletiva nos cursos de graduação em enfermagem, medicina e odontologia no Brasil: revisão de mapeamento. Rev Atençao Saude. 2024; 22:e20249680-0. doi: 10.13037/ras.vol22.e20249680.
https://doi.org/10.13037/ras.vol22.e2024... which included Collective Health subjects in undergraduate Nursing, Medicine and Dentistry courses in Brazil did not identify the use of cordel literature as a teaching-learning strategy, activity and/or technique.

The use of alternative and/or innovative approaches has emerged as a way of supporting the teaching process, providing moments that broaden the critical and reflective capacity of the object studied, stimulating autonomy and the active participation of students and helping to make learning more active, meaningful, collaborative, engaging and motivating⁶6 Veiga GA, Araújo MC, Cauduro FLF, Andrade J. Metodologia ativa no estágio supervisionado de enfermagem: inovação na Atenção Primária à Saúde. Rev Baiana Enferm. 2020; 34:e34857. doi: 10.18471/rbe.v34.34857.
https://doi.org/10.18471/rbe.v34.34857... ^,1212 Marques HR, Campos AC, Andrade DM, Zambalde AL. Inovação no ensino: uma revisão sistemática das metodologias ativas de ensino-aprendizagem. Avaliação (Campinas). 2021; 26(3):718-41. doi: 10.1590/S1414-40772021000300005.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1414-4077202100... .

The aim was therefore to present a cordel about the distinctions, intersections and singularities between Public Health and Collective Health as a didactic-pedagogical resource for the teaching-learning process of health students. The choice of this literary genre stems from the meeting and confluence of the personal interests of the first two authors, both enthusiasts of poetry and Brazilian Northeastern culture, imbued with the challenge of uniting popular culture and scientific knowledge in health training processes.

Weaving the path

This is a creation¹³13 Castro ED, Almeida EAA, Asanuma GD, Silva JA, Buelau RM, Quarentei MS, et al. A seção de criação na revista Interface: vinte anos de experimentação. Interface (Botucatu). 2017; 21(63):1057-74. doi: 10.1590/1807-57622017.0357.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-57622017.03... , an inventive process which, like any other human act, cannot be dissociated from its context and which is intrinsically linked to the need to give meaning to the world.

Creation and innovation are closely related. They are everyday occurrences. While creation is the act of generating new ideas, innovation is the practical implementation of these ideas into something that adds value. Innovation is therefore the end result of the creative process¹³13 Castro ED, Almeida EAA, Asanuma GD, Silva JA, Buelau RM, Quarentei MS, et al. A seção de criação na revista Interface: vinte anos de experimentação. Interface (Botucatu). 2017; 21(63):1057-74. doi: 10.1590/1807-57622017.0357.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-57622017.03...

14 Oliveira ZMF. Fatores influentes no desenvolvimento do potencial criativo. Estud Psicol (Campinas). 2010; 27(1):83-92. doi: 10.1590/S0103-166X2010000100010.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-166X201000... ^-1515 Santos OL. As etapas do processo criativo propostas por Graham Wallas identificadas em processos de criação em ambientes digitais. Braz J Develop. 2019; 5(7):9490-8. doi: 10.34117/bjdv5n7-2400.
https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv5n7-2400... .

The creative process is a multifaceted, complex and individual phenomenon, influenced by different factors that are interrelated and cannot be seen in isolation¹⁴14 Oliveira ZMF. Fatores influentes no desenvolvimento do potencial criativo. Estud Psicol (Campinas). 2010; 27(1):83-92. doi: 10.1590/S0103-166X2010000100010.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0103-166X201000... . In an attempt to systematize the creative process, the stages proposed by Graham Wallas were used: preparation, incubation, illumination and verification¹⁵15 Santos OL. As etapas do processo criativo propostas por Graham Wallas identificadas em processos de criação em ambientes digitais. Braz J Develop. 2019; 5(7):9490-8. doi: 10.34117/bjdv5n7-2400.
https://doi.org/10.34117/bjdv5n7-2400... .

Introducing the Cordel

The cordel¹⁶16 Vieira CMS, Belém JM, Ferreira AR Jr, Machado SP, Silva MRF. Do caco ao mosaico: desvendando Saúde Pública e Saúde Coletiva [Folheto de cordel]. Fortaleza: UECE; 2024. 41 p., entitled “From Pieces to Mosaic: Unveiling Public Health and Collective Health”, is divided into six poems: 1) Yearnings; 2) A timely chat; 3) From Pieces to Mosaic: a little chat about Public Health; 4) From Pieces to Mosaic: a little chat about Collective Health; 5) Itinerary; 6) A letter to Adenor.

Yearnings

The first poem “Yearnings” introduces the central theme, highlighting the confusion surrounding the concepts of Public Health and Collective Health and the complexity involved in understanding both fields. They express concerns about the teaching of Collective Health and Public Health and the gaps in the training of health professionals documented in scientific literature and taken as an object in the doctoral thesis project entitled Public Health and Collective Health in undergraduate health professions: the paths of teaching and research in Brazil.

In addition, they are associated with the authors' personal experiences in the course of their academic and professional career as teachers and the discussions and reflections provided in the discipline Conceptual Topics in Collective Health, which is part of the curricular matrix of the Academic Doctorate Course of the Postgraduate Program in Collective Health of the State University of Ceará, Brazil.

Anseios

A timely chat

The second poem, entitled “A timely chat”, gives an overview of the two areas, highlighting their historical origins and introductorily reinforcing common and divergent points, emphasizing the need for them to be timely discussed and clarified.

In addition, metaphorizing the authors' creative ideation process, it refers to the initial stage of the project's conception through meetings whose main objective was to outline the scope and the path to be taken, select the relevant references for theoretical background and draw up a roadmap for the proposal.

Uma prosa oportuna

In this sense, we decided to use the article 'Public Health or Collective Health?'¹⁷17 Souza LEPF. Saúde pública ou saúde coletiva? Espac Saude. 2014; 15(4):7-21. doi: 10.22421/15177130-2014v15n4p7.
https://doi.org/10.22421/15177130-2014v1... , complementary articles¹⁸18 Osmo A, Schraiber LB. O campo da Saúde Coletiva no Brasil: definições e debates em sua constituição. Saude Soc. 2015; 24:205-18. doi: 10.1590/S0104-12902015S01018.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-12902015S0...

19 Paim JS, Teixeira CF. Política, planejamento e gestão em saúde: balanço do estado da arte. Rev Saude Publica. 2006; 40(Spec No):73-8. doi: 10.1590/S0034-89102006000400011.
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-8910200600... ^-2020 Sobral LF, Barros ÉL, Carnut L. A área de política, planejamento e gestão em saúde nas graduações em saúde coletiva no Brasil. Trab Educ Saude. 2017; 15(3):879-94. doi: 10.1590/1981-7746-sol00076.
https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-7746-sol000... and the Theory of the Health Work Process²¹21 Peduzzi M, Schraiber LB. Processo de trabalho em saúde. In: Pereira IB, Lima JCF. Dicionário da educação profissional em saúde [Internet]. 2a ed. Rio de Janeiro: EPSJV; 2008 [citado 10 Nov 2024]. Disponível em: http://www.sites.epsjv.fiocruz.br/dicionario/verbetes/protrasau.html
http://www.sites.epsjv.fiocruz.br/dicion... , using the components/elements of work - the object, the instruments/means, the purpose and the agents, as a framework to outline, point out and identify the main convergent and divergent aspects between Public Health and Collective Health.

From Pieces to Mosaic: a little chat about Public Health

The third poem takes a more detailed look at Public Health, exploring its concepts, methods and practices. A conversation that presents aspects of the social, historical and political dimensions involved in the development of the field in Brazil, associated with elements of the theory of the work process, which translate into a mosaic of Public Health.

Do caco ao mosaico: conversê sobre ésse pê

From Pieces to Mosaic: a little chat about Collective Health

The fourth poem deals with Collective Health, highlighting its origins, its principles and its relationship with the process of social determination of health. A conversation that presents aspects of the social, historical and political dimensions involved in the development of the field in Brazil, associated with elements of the theory of the work process, which translate into a mosaic of Collective Health.

Do caco ao mosaico: conversê sobre ésse cê

Itinerary

The fifth poem called “Itinerary” traces the history of Collective Health in Brazil, discussing it as a political-ideological and institutional project and highlighting its relationship with the Health Reform movement, its guiding principles and the reverberations in the area of Collective Health.

It also explains the three subfields/core areas of knowledge: 1) epidemiology; 2) the social and human sciences in health; 3) health policy, planning and management; and their contributions to the field of Collective Health.

Itinerário

A letter to Adenor

The sixth and final poem presents an informal conversation through letters exchanged between friends, who are supposedly users of the Unified Health System (SUS), seeking to clarify, from the point of view of these actors, doubts about the concepts of Public Health and Collective Health, in a simple and direct way.

Uma carta ao Adenor

ReverberACTIONS

The poems presented, inscribed in cordel literature genre, an artistic format from Brazilian cultural traditions, offer an alternative and/or innovative perspective for approaching Public Health and Collective Health and can be useful in health training processes as a teaching-learning strategy in undergraduate and postgraduate courses, facilitating the understanding of concepts and stimulating discussion and critical reflection in students.

In this way, it is hoped that the creation of this educational technology based on historical, conceptual and aesthetic references can contribute to the teaching-learning process, streamlining the possibilities of access to relevant knowledge and contributing to the fields of Public Health and Collective Health in a sensitive and critical way.

The use of a poetic and didactic approach in versed, rhymed, simple, accessible and informal language, which makes concepts more understandable to health academics, facilitates the teaching-learning process and the dissemination, communication and popularization of scientific knowledge. In addition, the structure of the cordel poems makes reading more enjoyable, attractive and has the potential to make learning meaningful.

On the other hand, the attempt to simplify complex concepts can lead to some generalizations and inaccuracies. However, it should be emphasized that the poetry of the cordel poems complements the discussion and content of the articles used in the theoretical framework, offering a comprehensive view of Public Health and Collective Health.

By using formal, academic language with a focus on historical, theoretical, political and social analysis, the scientific articles aim to deepen the theory on the subject, targeting academics and professionals. On the other hand, the cordel presents a poetic, didactic, informal, accessible and engaging approach and language, focused on presenting basic concepts, thus broadening the target audience and aimed at an initial approach to these concepts, enriching the debate on the subject.

It should be noted that the material was produced by cordel literature lovers and sympathizers, but not by popular artists/poets fluent in the exercise and production of this art/literature. Thus, from an aesthetic and ethical point of view, we recognize the difference in quality achieved by "cordelists" compared to the material produced by researchers.

We suggest the creation and production of new cordel poems on specific themes pertinent to Collective Health in partnership with popular artists/cordelists/poets as a way of enriching this approach, broadening the perspective and innovating in the teaching-learning process. In addition, it is suggested that the cordel presented can be used in different contexts and audiences as well as in future research that analyzes how subjects receive and interpret it in order to analyze its potential and effectiveness in communicating concepts and in the teaching-learning process.

References

Publication Dates

History