Defense
Student: Letícia Lanza de Oliveira
Program: Professional Master's in Astronomy Teaching
Title: "The subtleties in Astronomy teaching and the BNCC: a proposal for the initial training of Science teachers"
Advisor: Prof. Dr. Ramachrisna Teixeira
Judging Comitee:
- Prof. Dr. Ramachrisna Teixeira - IAG (Chair and Advisor)
- Prof. Dr. André Machado Rodrigues - IF/USP
- Prof. Dr. Roberto Boczko - IAG
- Prof. Dr. Edson do Carmo Inforsato - UNESP (by videoconference)
Other Members:
- Prof. Dr. Amâncio César Santos Friaça - IAG
- Prof. Dr. Mauro Carlos Romanatto - UNESP (by videoconference)
- Prof. Dr. Valéria Silva Dias - IF/USP
- Profa. Dra. Paula Rodrigues Teixeira Coelho - IAG
Abstract:
Astronomy is one of the innovations introduced by the Base Nacional Comum Curricular (BNCC) with regard to the expansion of required content, now included across all final grades of lower secondary education (Ensino Fundamental). The implementation of this proposal, however, requires an understanding of which astronomical concepts will be taught and how they will be addressed within the diverse contexts of initial teacher formation in Brazil. This study proposes a critical review of the BNCC guidelines for Astronomy education at this educational stage, grounded in the perspectives of Science teachers who, ultimately, are responsible for implementing the curriculum. The objective of this work is to contribute to the discussion on the enactment of the BNCC and on how undergraduate teacher education programs in the Natural Sciences, such as Biology and Physics, are being updated to meet the demands established by the document. Finally, we develop didactic proposals to be incorporated into Astronomy-related courses within these initial teacher education programs, aiming to address the BNCC requirements and to enable future teachers to build robust conceptual understandings of the phenomena studied in the field. Among the strategies employed, we analyze documentation and literature related to the introduction of Astronomy into school curricula. Based on this survey, we engaged with basic education teachers and undergraduate teacher education students in order to probe their understanding of the concepts and content presented in the official documentation. The results of this research guided the development of the final product of this project: a set of didactic proposals designed for initial teacher education programs, focused on deepening the understanding of concepts that go beyond classroom discussions, thereby ensuring that teachers develop confidence and conceptual solidity in the knowledge they construct with their students. After the implementation of the final product, the material is expected to be revisited and refined even after the completion of this master’s project.
Keywords: Astronomy teaching, BNCC, initial teacher education programs.