The article presents thoughts over autobiographical reports from Elementary School teachers, elab... more The article presents thoughts over autobiographical reports from Elementary School teachers, elaborated under the form of training-research memorials during their participation in a distance learning course. The theoretical and methodological framework adopted in 1 Bolsista Capes do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Doutorado Sanduíche no Exterior/PSDE, na Universidade de Lisboa/Instituto de Educação em Portugal; doutoranda do PPGE da Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Email: [email protected] 2 Professora Associada com Agregação da área de Didática das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa/Instituto de Educação. Investigação atual em Desenvolvimento Curricular em Ciências. Email:[email protected] 3 Professora titular do departamento de Teorias e Práticas Pedagógicas do Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas da Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Secretária de Educação a Distância da UFSCar. Email: [email protected] ISSN 1982-7199 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271997...
In this paper, we present data related to how a Portuguese teacher developed the module "A big pr... more In this paper, we present data related to how a Portuguese teacher developed the module "A big problem for Magellan: Food preservation." Students were asked to plan an investigation in order to identify which were the best food preservation methods in the XV and XVI centuries of Portuguese overseas navigation, and then establish a parallel between those methods and current ones. Students were involved in discussing the relationship between science and social issues, and about the impact that science evolution has on daily life practices. The teacher had professional experience and a Master's degree in science education and considered that PARSEL and the specific module constituted a good approach to achieve his goals concerning science education. Students were attending a twelfth-grade biology class and wished to pursue university studies in science. We carried out participant observations, interviews with the teacher and four of his students, and we also administered a questionnaire to the students. Both teacher and students found the module popular and relevant for their lives. Despite positive assessment, some less positive issues, such as, time management and module extension, and the difficulty of making a connection between science and social issues were also identified.
Resumo: Vários educadores em ciência defendem a inclusão da discussão de questões sociocientífica... more Resumo: Vários educadores em ciência defendem a inclusão da discussão de questões sociocientíficas controversas nos currículos de ciências em resultado das suas potencialidades tanto na aprendizagem dos conteúdos, dos processos e da natureza da ciência e da tecnologia, como no desenvolvimento cognitivo, social, político, moral e ético dos alunos (Levinson. Contudo, apesar de todas as evidências empíricas relativamente ao seu potencial educacional, as actividades de discussão de questões sociocientíficas controversas não são realizadas em muitas aulas de ciências, mesmo quando integram as orientações curriculares e os professores consideram importante a sua realização.
Utilizar o recurso da narrativa autobiográfica levou-nos a inscrever nossos episódios de vida pes... more Utilizar o recurso da narrativa autobiográfica levou-nos a inscrever nossos episódios de vida pessoal e profissional e encontrar lugar para os significados das trajetórias e das práticas de formadoras de professores. A narrativa pessoal nos ajudou a perceber como nos fomos construindo profissionalmente. Duas questões constituíram-se como fios da investigação: 1) Que momentos marcantes identificamos na nossa vida profissional? 2) Como descrevemos esses momentos e como explicamos teoricamente a sua influência no nosso desenvolvimento profissional? A própria construção da metodologia de investigação se constitui em uma narrativa na medida em que a recolha de dados são as escritas autobiográficas sobre os percursos singulares que foram sendo construídas por nós, investigadoras, no entrecruzamento de nossas histórias de professoras e formadoras de professores e pesquisadores. A análise ressignifica e reinterpreta os olhares que temos de nós mesmas, pondo em evidência outras emoções e razões das quais antes não nos tínhamos apercebido.
Several educators in science have called for the inclusion of controversial socio-scientific issu... more Several educators in science have called for the inclusion of controversial socio-scientific issues' discussion in science curricula because of its potential for creating a more real, humane image of scientific activity and for promoting scientific literacy, an essential tool for a responsible citizenship regarding decision-making processes related to socio-scientific issues. However, despite all the favourable opinions and empirical evidence concerning
This study aims at knowing how students experience wikis while they are involved in a problem sol... more This study aims at knowing how students experience wikis while they are involved in a problem solving science activity. The study took place in a physics and chemistry 8th grade class (13 years old), where teacher implemented a problem solving activity about acid-base reactions, using a wiki. Participants were 20 students, of which 12 were female students. The activity involved six different working groups. Wikis were analyzed with the goal to identify students' level and quality of participation. Furthermore, in order to understand students' experiences concerning the learning situation six focus group interviews were carried on. Three highly participating groups presented successful strategies and achieved the learning goals. These students used complex strategies for analyzing the information and used theoretical knowledge to make sense of information gathered. The collaborative processes were essential for enabling a feeling of competence and for assuring a successful learning experience. These groups revealed a high level of cognitive engagement. In comparison, poorly participating groups didn't present a successful strategy of knowledge co-construction and revealed difficulties in understanding the scientific concepts involved. Furthermore, each poorly participating group experienced the learning situation quite differently. Results suggest that students' engagement with a problem solving activity using a wiki is affected by a complex interplay of emotional, technical and social issues. Some recommendations for facilitating students' engagement with wikis emerge from the study: to carefully support collaborative processes and to create safe learning environments in which error is valued as an opportunity for learning.
Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importa... more Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importante da educação em ciência. Neste trabalho, é apresentada uma atividade de escrita e discussão de histórias imaginadas sobre cientistas, e são discutidas as suas potencialidades para a exploração das ideias dos alunos sobre a atividade científica. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas com professores e alunos. Foi também efetuada a análise de documentos escritos e a observação das sessões de discussão. Os resultados revelaram a presença, nos alunos, de ideias inadequadas acerca do que é a atividade científica. Revelaram, também, dificuldades por parte dos professores na gestão da discussão e no confronto dessas ideias, que dificultam a compreensão acerca da natureza do conhecimento científico. É sugerido que esta atividade possa ser enriquecida pela sua integração num contexto real, que facilite o estabelecimento de conexões com o trabalho de cientistas reais.
Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importa... more Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importante da educação em ciência. Neste trabalho, é apresentada uma atividade de escrita e discussão de histórias imaginadas sobre cientistas, e são discutidas as suas potencialidades para a exploração das ideias dos alunos sobre a atividade científica. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas com professores e alunos. Foi também efetuada a análise de documentos escritos e a observação das sessões de discussão. Os resultados revelaram a presença, nos alunos, de ideias inadequadas acerca do que é a atividade científica. Revelaram, também, dificuldades por parte dos professores na gestão da discussão e no confronto dessas ideias, que dificultam a compreensão acerca da natureza do conhecimento científico. É sugerido que esta atividade possa ser enriquecida pela sua integração num contexto real, que facilite o estabelecimento de conexões com o trabalho de cientistas reais.
PARSEL Project emerged from the urgent need to overcome the problem of lack of scientific literac... more PARSEL Project emerged from the urgent need to overcome the problem of lack of scientific literacy in the population, which should be a priority in a society where science occupies a central place. Indeed, nowadays for any citizen to participate in a responsible and informed way in society he has to be scientifically acknowledgeable. Nevertheless, not only are scientific levels low in the general population, but also there is an increasing number of students who avoid science and technology courses and related professions. Within this context, PARSEL aims at raising science and scientific courses' popularity and relevancy as well as at enacting teachers' professional development. In order to achieve these goals, the PARSEL group developed 54 pan-European modules, which were tested and evaluated by several teachers in several European countries and Israel. Teachers maintained a close relationship with the university, were highly encouraged to appropriate the modules and to adapt them to their local conditions and, also to discuss and share their experiences. In Portugal, modules were tested by a group of eight teachers, and their students. This paper presents data concerning teachers' evaluation. Data was collected by means of interviews, observation and written documents and reveals that teachers positively evaluated PARSEL's impact on their own professional development. Furthermore, they considered modules as well as the teaching-learning approach essential for making science learning relevant and popular for their students.
Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development o... more Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development of complex competencies that challenges school, education and curriculum. PARSEL, a pan-European Project related to science education, emerges as a contribution to curricular development as it proposes a set of teaching-learning materials (modules) in order to make science classes more popular and relevant in the eyes of the students and as such to increase their interest with school science. The goal of this study was to understand how students evaluate those innovative modules. This paper presents data concerning 134 secondary students, collected through interviews, questionnaires and written documents. A quantitative analysis of the data collected through questionnaires was complemented by a qualitative analysis of the data collected by interviews and written documents. Results show that understanding the relationship between science and daily life, participating in practical activities based on problem solving and developing critical thinking and reasoning were the issues most valued by students.
ABSTRACT Mobilizing scientific knowledge for understanding the natural world and for critically a... more ABSTRACT Mobilizing scientific knowledge for understanding the natural world and for critically appraise socio-scientific situations and make decisions are key competencies for todays' society. Therefore, it is essential to understand how students at the end of compulsory schooling use scientific knowledge for understanding the surrounding world. The objective of this study is to understand how students construct a scientifically oriented explanation while making sense of a phenomenon related to health. We analysed 526 answers to a question of a Portuguese national 9th grade science exam. The results reveal that most students present difficulties in explaining a phenomenon related to health supported by logical and clear reasoning, and in mobilizing scientific knowledge for connecting different scientific domains. We reaffirm the need to reconceptualize the role of health education within science education. Developing reading, writing and discussion activities related to health, which requires the use of scientific knowledge from different domains, would facilitate students' understanding and appropriation of scientific knowledge and its transference. This is a fundamental competence for promoting active and informed citizenship.
In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stori... more In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stories about a group of scientists, written by two 11th-grade Earth and Life Science students (aged 17), and to semi-structured interviews, with the double purpose of diagnosing their conceptions of the nature of science (namely, as regards scientists' activity), and discussing the potentialities of this methodology in terms of research and education in science. The adopted methodology proved particularly effective in diagnosing the students' conceptions of scientists' characteristics, scientific activity, and science-technology-society interactions. The limited content of certain conceptions and a certain lack of knowledge on the part of the students concerning the processes and the epistemology of science highlight the need to pay explicit attention in science classes to the nature of scientific activity. Some of the ideas brought up by the students clearly show the influence of stereotypes and catastrophic scenarios depicted in films, television programs, and books, revealing media's limitations when divulging scientific and technological themes to the general public and stressing the need for the school to promote a critical debate about science and technology images conveyed by the media.
The article presents thoughts over autobiographical reports from Elementary School teachers, elab... more The article presents thoughts over autobiographical reports from Elementary School teachers, elaborated under the form of training-research memorials during their participation in a distance learning course. The theoretical and methodological framework adopted in 1 Bolsista Capes do Programa Institucional de Bolsas de Doutorado Sanduíche no Exterior/PSDE, na Universidade de Lisboa/Instituto de Educação em Portugal; doutoranda do PPGE da Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Email: [email protected] 2 Professora Associada com Agregação da área de Didática das Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa/Instituto de Educação. Investigação atual em Desenvolvimento Curricular em Ciências. Email:[email protected] 3 Professora titular do departamento de Teorias e Práticas Pedagógicas do Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas da Universidade Federal de São Carlos. Secretária de Educação a Distância da UFSCar. Email: [email protected] ISSN 1982-7199 | DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/198271997...
In this paper, we present data related to how a Portuguese teacher developed the module "A big pr... more In this paper, we present data related to how a Portuguese teacher developed the module "A big problem for Magellan: Food preservation." Students were asked to plan an investigation in order to identify which were the best food preservation methods in the XV and XVI centuries of Portuguese overseas navigation, and then establish a parallel between those methods and current ones. Students were involved in discussing the relationship between science and social issues, and about the impact that science evolution has on daily life practices. The teacher had professional experience and a Master's degree in science education and considered that PARSEL and the specific module constituted a good approach to achieve his goals concerning science education. Students were attending a twelfth-grade biology class and wished to pursue university studies in science. We carried out participant observations, interviews with the teacher and four of his students, and we also administered a questionnaire to the students. Both teacher and students found the module popular and relevant for their lives. Despite positive assessment, some less positive issues, such as, time management and module extension, and the difficulty of making a connection between science and social issues were also identified.
Resumo: Vários educadores em ciência defendem a inclusão da discussão de questões sociocientífica... more Resumo: Vários educadores em ciência defendem a inclusão da discussão de questões sociocientíficas controversas nos currículos de ciências em resultado das suas potencialidades tanto na aprendizagem dos conteúdos, dos processos e da natureza da ciência e da tecnologia, como no desenvolvimento cognitivo, social, político, moral e ético dos alunos (Levinson. Contudo, apesar de todas as evidências empíricas relativamente ao seu potencial educacional, as actividades de discussão de questões sociocientíficas controversas não são realizadas em muitas aulas de ciências, mesmo quando integram as orientações curriculares e os professores consideram importante a sua realização.
Utilizar o recurso da narrativa autobiográfica levou-nos a inscrever nossos episódios de vida pes... more Utilizar o recurso da narrativa autobiográfica levou-nos a inscrever nossos episódios de vida pessoal e profissional e encontrar lugar para os significados das trajetórias e das práticas de formadoras de professores. A narrativa pessoal nos ajudou a perceber como nos fomos construindo profissionalmente. Duas questões constituíram-se como fios da investigação: 1) Que momentos marcantes identificamos na nossa vida profissional? 2) Como descrevemos esses momentos e como explicamos teoricamente a sua influência no nosso desenvolvimento profissional? A própria construção da metodologia de investigação se constitui em uma narrativa na medida em que a recolha de dados são as escritas autobiográficas sobre os percursos singulares que foram sendo construídas por nós, investigadoras, no entrecruzamento de nossas histórias de professoras e formadoras de professores e pesquisadores. A análise ressignifica e reinterpreta os olhares que temos de nós mesmas, pondo em evidência outras emoções e razões das quais antes não nos tínhamos apercebido.
Several educators in science have called for the inclusion of controversial socio-scientific issu... more Several educators in science have called for the inclusion of controversial socio-scientific issues' discussion in science curricula because of its potential for creating a more real, humane image of scientific activity and for promoting scientific literacy, an essential tool for a responsible citizenship regarding decision-making processes related to socio-scientific issues. However, despite all the favourable opinions and empirical evidence concerning
This study aims at knowing how students experience wikis while they are involved in a problem sol... more This study aims at knowing how students experience wikis while they are involved in a problem solving science activity. The study took place in a physics and chemistry 8th grade class (13 years old), where teacher implemented a problem solving activity about acid-base reactions, using a wiki. Participants were 20 students, of which 12 were female students. The activity involved six different working groups. Wikis were analyzed with the goal to identify students' level and quality of participation. Furthermore, in order to understand students' experiences concerning the learning situation six focus group interviews were carried on. Three highly participating groups presented successful strategies and achieved the learning goals. These students used complex strategies for analyzing the information and used theoretical knowledge to make sense of information gathered. The collaborative processes were essential for enabling a feeling of competence and for assuring a successful learning experience. These groups revealed a high level of cognitive engagement. In comparison, poorly participating groups didn't present a successful strategy of knowledge co-construction and revealed difficulties in understanding the scientific concepts involved. Furthermore, each poorly participating group experienced the learning situation quite differently. Results suggest that students' engagement with a problem solving activity using a wiki is affected by a complex interplay of emotional, technical and social issues. Some recommendations for facilitating students' engagement with wikis emerge from the study: to carefully support collaborative processes and to create safe learning environments in which error is valued as an opportunity for learning.
Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importa... more Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importante da educação em ciência. Neste trabalho, é apresentada uma atividade de escrita e discussão de histórias imaginadas sobre cientistas, e são discutidas as suas potencialidades para a exploração das ideias dos alunos sobre a atividade científica. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas com professores e alunos. Foi também efetuada a análise de documentos escritos e a observação das sessões de discussão. Os resultados revelaram a presença, nos alunos, de ideias inadequadas acerca do que é a atividade científica. Revelaram, também, dificuldades por parte dos professores na gestão da discussão e no confronto dessas ideias, que dificultam a compreensão acerca da natureza do conhecimento científico. É sugerido que esta atividade possa ser enriquecida pela sua integração num contexto real, que facilite o estabelecimento de conexões com o trabalho de cientistas reais.
Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importa... more Vários estudos em educação têm salientado a natureza da ciência como sendo uma componente importante da educação em ciência. Neste trabalho, é apresentada uma atividade de escrita e discussão de histórias imaginadas sobre cientistas, e são discutidas as suas potencialidades para a exploração das ideias dos alunos sobre a atividade científica. Os dados foram recolhidos através de entrevistas com professores e alunos. Foi também efetuada a análise de documentos escritos e a observação das sessões de discussão. Os resultados revelaram a presença, nos alunos, de ideias inadequadas acerca do que é a atividade científica. Revelaram, também, dificuldades por parte dos professores na gestão da discussão e no confronto dessas ideias, que dificultam a compreensão acerca da natureza do conhecimento científico. É sugerido que esta atividade possa ser enriquecida pela sua integração num contexto real, que facilite o estabelecimento de conexões com o trabalho de cientistas reais.
PARSEL Project emerged from the urgent need to overcome the problem of lack of scientific literac... more PARSEL Project emerged from the urgent need to overcome the problem of lack of scientific literacy in the population, which should be a priority in a society where science occupies a central place. Indeed, nowadays for any citizen to participate in a responsible and informed way in society he has to be scientifically acknowledgeable. Nevertheless, not only are scientific levels low in the general population, but also there is an increasing number of students who avoid science and technology courses and related professions. Within this context, PARSEL aims at raising science and scientific courses' popularity and relevancy as well as at enacting teachers' professional development. In order to achieve these goals, the PARSEL group developed 54 pan-European modules, which were tested and evaluated by several teachers in several European countries and Israel. Teachers maintained a close relationship with the university, were highly encouraged to appropriate the modules and to adapt them to their local conditions and, also to discuss and share their experiences. In Portugal, modules were tested by a group of eight teachers, and their students. This paper presents data concerning teachers' evaluation. Data was collected by means of interviews, observation and written documents and reveals that teachers positively evaluated PARSEL's impact on their own professional development. Furthermore, they considered modules as well as the teaching-learning approach essential for making science learning relevant and popular for their students.
Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development o... more Living in an unpredictable and ever changing society demands from its' citizens the development of complex competencies that challenges school, education and curriculum. PARSEL, a pan-European Project related to science education, emerges as a contribution to curricular development as it proposes a set of teaching-learning materials (modules) in order to make science classes more popular and relevant in the eyes of the students and as such to increase their interest with school science. The goal of this study was to understand how students evaluate those innovative modules. This paper presents data concerning 134 secondary students, collected through interviews, questionnaires and written documents. A quantitative analysis of the data collected through questionnaires was complemented by a qualitative analysis of the data collected by interviews and written documents. Results show that understanding the relationship between science and daily life, participating in practical activities based on problem solving and developing critical thinking and reasoning were the issues most valued by students.
ABSTRACT Mobilizing scientific knowledge for understanding the natural world and for critically a... more ABSTRACT Mobilizing scientific knowledge for understanding the natural world and for critically appraise socio-scientific situations and make decisions are key competencies for todays' society. Therefore, it is essential to understand how students at the end of compulsory schooling use scientific knowledge for understanding the surrounding world. The objective of this study is to understand how students construct a scientifically oriented explanation while making sense of a phenomenon related to health. We analysed 526 answers to a question of a Portuguese national 9th grade science exam. The results reveal that most students present difficulties in explaining a phenomenon related to health supported by logical and clear reasoning, and in mobilizing scientific knowledge for connecting different scientific domains. We reaffirm the need to reconceptualize the role of health education within science education. Developing reading, writing and discussion activities related to health, which requires the use of scientific knowledge from different domains, would facilitate students' understanding and appropriation of scientific knowledge and its transference. This is a fundamental competence for promoting active and informed citizenship.
In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stori... more In this article the authors resort to a qualitative analysis of the plot of science fiction stories about a group of scientists, written by two 11th-grade Earth and Life Science students (aged 17), and to semi-structured interviews, with the double purpose of diagnosing their conceptions of the nature of science (namely, as regards scientists' activity), and discussing the potentialities of this methodology in terms of research and education in science. The adopted methodology proved particularly effective in diagnosing the students' conceptions of scientists' characteristics, scientific activity, and science-technology-society interactions. The limited content of certain conceptions and a certain lack of knowledge on the part of the students concerning the processes and the epistemology of science highlight the need to pay explicit attention in science classes to the nature of scientific activity. Some of the ideas brought up by the students clearly show the influence of stereotypes and catastrophic scenarios depicted in films, television programs, and books, revealing media's limitations when divulging scientific and technological themes to the general public and stressing the need for the school to promote a critical debate about science and technology images conveyed by the media.
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