CHALLENGES FOR TEACHER AUTONOMY IN TEACHING ASTRONOMY WITH PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES: A STUDY WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE ERATOSTHENES BRAZIL PROJECT

• Grant number: 24/06369-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Specific topics in Education
• Principal Investigator: Rodolfo Langhi
• Grantee: João Pedro Bertonha Lombardi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Research reveals that initial teacher training rarely addresses astronomy adequately, limiting their autonomy to teach the topic safely, despite the literature presenting numerous justifications for the importance of teaching this topic. In this scenario, research in the area of Astronomy Education highlights specific training experiences as effective means of improving the quality of Astronomy teaching, highlighting the importance of continued training. Thus, the Eratóstenes Brasil Project promotes training episodes for teachers, focusing on practical activities such as measuring the shadow of a gnomon to calculate the circumference of the Earth. Such practical activities are widely recognized for enhancing investigative learning, making students protagonists of their learning and valuing the scientific method and science, given the current context of scientific misinformation and anti-science theories. However, teaching autonomy to conduct practical activities in astronomy in an investigative approach still faces significant obstacles. Therefore, this research seeks to explore these difficulties, focusing on teacher autonomy in the context of the Eratóstenes Brasil Project, through a qualitative study that includes content analysis of records of remote meetings with teachers. As a result, it is expected that the final inferences can answer the central research question about the obstacles to the development of teaching autonomy, offering possibilities for overcoming these challenges and strengthening scientific education in Astronomy.