O ensino de química nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental e a formação de professores de ciências

Abstract

This paper addresses the importance of Science Education in elementary school as well as the approach of knowledge of Chemistry in this context. The research was qualitative and document analysis and questionnaires were used to gather information for the survey. We laid attention on genelarist teachers and their initial training, since it is those professionals who will present the first knowledge of Science for children. At first, we did an analysis of the pedagogical course projects from three educational institutions that offer the training course for generalist teachers, two from universities and one from a high school, both public. Information about the teacher training model were sought within the perspective of Science Education and Chemistry as an important part of this process. Analysing the data, we found weaknesses in the training process. It was revealed that despite training courses qualify professionals for Science Teaching in kindergarten and in the early years of Elementary School, they do not provide a sufficient training program that meets the needs of future teachers. At another stage of the research it was also plotted the profile of Science teachers of the initial series of Elementary School. Teachers from three different districts acting at this stage of education were interviewed at this phase showing that many of them relate Science to either Biology or Health sciences, leaving aside contributions from other sciences, such as Chemistry. In addition, many of them had a fragmented and predictable vision, where Chemistry was classified as another kind of science, whose presentation would only be necessary in the last year of Elementary School and in High School. Finally, in order to minimize the deficiencies observed during the survey, it was proposed to offer a training course for training and/or exercising teachers. This course would be held as a workshop using our book of experiments, entitled "Pequenos Alquimistas" in which experiments will be found and they may lead teachers to realize how closely Chemistry is present in our daily lives, thus facilitating the approach of this knowledge in Science teaching.