A construção de saberes docentes disciplinares por meio de modelos físicos de astronomia para professores dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Abstract

This text reports (on) the scientific investigation process about the teaching of Astronomy aimed at the initial years of Elementary School. After a bibliographical survey, it was identified that Astronomy, although it is an ancient science that arouses curiosity in the daily lives of students, has its teaching in school environments permeated by difficulties, resulting in the maintenance of alternative concepts, including among elementary school teachers. Among the factors that contribute to these problems, the following stand out: academic training, especially in pedagogy courses, resulting in classes with a traditional approach and gaps in teaching knowledge; and the lack of opportunities for continuing education in this area. So, this investigative process focused on the continuing education of elementary school teachers in West region Paraná aimed at teaching Astronomy. Thus, the hypothesis that a continuing education course needs an organized curriculum compatible with that taught in the classroom by teachers is extended. This investigative proposal also extends to the hypothesis that the use of physical didactic models can contribute to the mobilization of teaching knowledge in a continuing education course in Astronomy. Therefore this research presented the following objectives: 1) To conduct a bibliographic study on the teaching of astronomy in the early years of Elementary School and the use of physical didactic models for the teaching of Science and Astronomy; 2) To analyze the national curriculum from the state of Paraná and from the Western region of Paraná in relation to the concepts and approaches proposed for the teaching of Astronomy in the early years of Elementary School; 3) To develop innovative or adapted physical didactic models for the teaching of Astronomy and to evaluate their role in the mobilization of disciplinary knowledge by the teachers participating in the training; 4) To propose and evaluate a teacher training course for the early years of Elementary School, lasting 32 hours, focused on the teaching of Astronomy; 5) To evaluate the construction of different teaching knowledge, especially disciplinary knowledge, during a continuing education course in Astronomy held with teachers in a city in Western Paraná; 6) To propose a discussion on which curriculum to adopt for the teaching of Astronomy in continuing education courses. The methodologies used were bibliographical research, documentary analysis of curricula and empirical research related to the development of a continuing education course. During the course, data were collected through questionnaires and transcription of audio recordings. These data were analyzed through content analysis. At the end of the research, the following main results were obtained: 1) development of a curriculum for continuing education of teachers, which can be reused and reevaluated in future research; 2) creation of eight didactic physical models – Astrolabe, Planetarium, Armillary Sphere, Three-Dimensional Constellation, Solar System in Scale, Earth and Moon System in Scale, Earth and Moon Model, Solar Dial and the Simulator of Local Solar Apparent Motion; 3) proof of the mobilization of disciplinary knowledge in the contents covered during the continuing education course, such as: seasons of the year, positional astronomy, constellations, stars, Solar System, Formation of the Universe, among others. Thus, this ask is relevant to different areas of Astronomy teaching.