Contexto e realidade amazônica: questões sociocientíficas na formação continuada de professores de Ciências/Química

Abstract

The need to improve the teaching and learning process, to approach the knowledge produced in education to educators and to overcome the simplistic view of teaching activity are some justifications for the design and maintenance of continuing education programs. This research had as objective to investigate how the approach of socio-scientific issues (SSI) of the Amazon regional context can contribute in the CF of Science / Chemistry teachers. For this, the teachers were considered as protagonists in this formation process, valuing their experiential knowledge in the perspective of the Paradigm of Practical Rationality. Thus, the qualitative research approach based on action research was adapted. The subjects of the research were Biology, Physics and Chemistry teachers who work in High School in three public schools in Manaus. The instruments of data collection were questionnaires, semi-structured interview, field diary, audiovisual recordings of the course offered and forum in a virtual environment. Data analysis was performed using Discursive Textual Analysis. The results were analyzed based on the Critical Pedagogy of Giroux and Freire. In schools we found that teachers work in the training area and most of them have a postgraduate degree. Of the 55 participating teachers, 54 would accept to participate in a CF action. Of these, 42 have already participated in CF. The topics of the Amazon context, such as the meeting of the waters between the Negro and Solimões rivers and the SSI approach were approached by 22 of the 55 teachers. Environmental issues were the most frequent topic and seminar and discussed the most used didactic strategies. At the outset, teaching with characteristics of "banking education" and a mistaken conception of the SSI approach and contextualization, such as the simple citing of examples in the content exposition, or as experiments were observed. Some of the SSI mentioned were drugs, origin of life, sexuality, discussion on the legalization of abortion and marijuana. The awakening of interest in students and the choice of topics to be addressed by teachers were indicated as facilities for approaching SSI. Among the difficulties are the lack of resources and prior knowledge and interest of the students. The QSC approach in the Amazon context raised in the CF allowed the teachers to be authors of their own didactic sequences (DS). Eight proposals were elaborated, of which six related to environmental issues and the others to the eating habits of the Amazonians. Only one DS had no relation with the Amazonian context. It was evidenced that teachers recognize the importance of this training as a potential for change in their pedagogical practices and the regional SSI approach promoted the discussion of social, political, economic, moral, ethical and environmental aspects and the understanding that it can contribute to a greater understanding of scientific concepts, indispensable to responsible decision-making. And they also recognize this approach as an overcoming of the traditional teaching model.