Formação de professores de ciências naturais para atuação na educação de jovens e adultos na perspectiva da abordagem CTSA

Abstract

This research’s main objective was to seek contributions from undergraduate students of the Chemistry, Physics and Biology Courses of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) regarding the possible gaps would may exist in the early periods, in view of the work with Youth and Adult Education (EJA ), with the Didactic Sequence (SD) and with the Science, Technology, Society and Environment (CTSA) approach that will dialogue with their daily experiences and those students with whom they will work with. Three meetings were held with 13 undergraduates, three of them in Biology, five in Physics and six in Chemistry. The research data emerged through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. An audio recorder and a camcorder camera were the data collection instruments used. The methodological perspective adopted for the data understanding was based in Content Analysis. With the goal to improve the continuing Natural Sciences courses undergraduates and graduates education regarding the CTSA approach for EJA classes through SD, an educational product was developed. It is a Continuing Formation Course for educators in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, with the aim to contribute to their own construction of knowledge, as well of their studends. To elaborate the course, the Didactic Sequence teaching strategy was used as the main guiding instrument. Upon completion of the Master’s Degree, such educational product will be presented to public managers aiming at teachers who are already acting in the referred modality. The research results showed that the undergraduates in Natural Sciences area from UFMG has actually pointed to gaps in Biology, Physics and Chemistry courses, with regard to the EJA, CTSA and SD approaches involving the teaching and learning process. By means of the acquisition, categorization and analysis of the obtained results, I successfully fulfilled my objectives, since a) I noticed that the undergraduates presented little knowledge about the subjects and that the contextualization and the interdisciplinarity, as well as the experience and background, were pointed out by them as crucial factors to a better understanding of the issues; b) I identified that the lack of experience during the undergraduates initial formation in the natural sciences area of the Chemistry, Physics and Biology courses at UFMG contributed to the lack of knowledge and c) confirmed the relevance to elaborate a Continuing Formation Course to educators in Chemistry, Physics and Biology, who will contribute to their necessary knowledge construction to work with the CTSA Approach and the Didactic Sequence in the EJA.