Teacher education for science teaching: education pathways of primary school teachers

Author(s)

Maína Bertagna Rocha

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Campinas, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Educação
• Defense date: 2013-02-22

Examining board members

Jorge Megid Neto; Maria Guiomar Carneiro Tommasiello; Daniela Franco Carvalho Jacobucci; Ivan Amorosino do Amaral; Guilherme do Val Toledo Prado

• Advisor: Jorge Megid Neto

Abstract

Many studies point to teacher difficulties in teaching science at primary school due to a lack of content mastery and theoretical, methodological and practical basis. Overall, in Brazilian Pedagogy undergraduate courses, about 2% of the total course load is devoted to specific training for science teaching. Given this situation, the present study addresses the following questions: which are the sources of acquisition of knowledge on science and science teaching primary school teachers use; how does this knowledge entails their pedagogical practice; how does the teacher education for science teaching performed during the Pedagogy course affects the teacher pedagogical practice? In this study, we have analyzed the education pathways of three primary school teachers, as well as the specific science teaching training they received during the respective Pedagogy undergraduate course. The investigation surveyed the Pedagogy course professor in charge of the Science Teaching course and one former student/presently primary school teacher from three institutions of higher education in the state of São Paulo. The data was obtained by Semi-Structured interviews, classroom observation, and analysis of curriculum and didactical documents from the Pedagogy professors and corresponding primary school teachers. The study also comprised an analysis of the teacher training courses from Koblenz University (Germany), Barcelona University (Spain) and Aveiro University (Portugal). The Brazilian data was analyzed by content analysis and data multi crossing, based on categories that were established from Tardif and Shulman works. We discuss the results considering the literature on Brazilian legislation on teacher education, the literature on science teaching in the context of Teaching Didactics/Methodology, as well as teaching and teacher education models. The results show that: a) teachers learned/built knowledge on science and science teaching mainly during everyday teaching practice; b) the didactic manuals were the major learning sources for science and science teaching knowledge, followed by internet websites and science and education magazines; c) teachers learned science and science teaching knowledge that was related to the theoretical-methodological foundations of Science Teaching during the Pedagogy course; d) two Pedagogy professors have implemented their courses under a constructivist perspective on science teaching and were based on the practical rationality model of teacher education, while the third professor used the traditional teaching model and the technical teacher education model; e) all three primary school teachers have expressed views and practices founded on the traditional model, with two teachers also showing features of the rediscovery model. Given these results, the present study discusses the need for teacher education on specific science contents integrated to pedagogical knowledge in teacher training for primary school science teaching, as well as the need for an increase of the course load dedicated for science and science teaching. Also, we discuss the need for new complementary courses, either for specialization or professional master degree, aimed at former Pedagogy students, and the need for re-appreciating the high school level (Normal) teacher training. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/18224-7 - Science and Science teaching knowledge development: elementary teacher's education course.
• Grantee: Maína Bertagna Rocha
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate