Desenvolvimento curricular em ciências nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental: conhecimentos necessários à atuação docente em um contexto de implantação de um meliponário

Abstract

We live in a social and economic scenario in which new paradigms and demands emerge in the educational sphere. In the curricular and teacher training policies context, the curriculum emerge as a central element of actions and discussions used as a consultation basis document for teaching work, and, therefore, can be viewed and operated in multiple ways, which can be more or less emancipatory, or merely as a prescription of topics to be followed. This study is part of the research line “Práticas Docente e Formação Continuada do Programa de Mestrado Profissional em Práticas de Educação Básica” (Teaching Practices and Continuing Education of the Professional Master’s Program in Basic Education Practices) at Colégio Pedro II and addresses the following question: Which teaching knowledge is required for the curriculum development in Science in a meliponary implementation context? In order to answer this question, the overall objective aimed to understand the knowledge involved in the curriculum development process for Natural Sciences in the context of the Early Years of Elementary Education. In turn, the specific objectives intended to: (I) Identify the knowledge involved in lesson planning based on complex discussion contexts; (II) Identify the difficulties faced in proposing practical Science activities for the early grades of Elementary Education; (III) Analyze how the curriculum knowledge is articulated from the 1st to the 5th grade; (IV) Contribute directly to the implementation of a meliponary at the Humaitá I campus of Colégio Pedro II; (V) Develop an Educational Product (EP) that contributes to teaching practice. For this purpose, the curriculum was considered a complex artifact, while the constructed knowledge and teaching practice were seen as results of collective work in an ongoing process of discussion. Based on these assumptions, the research focused on analyzing the curriculum development work in the area of Natural Sciences for the Early Years of Elementary Education, linked to a meliponary - a stingless bee breeding that offers numerous teaching-learning possibilities across multiple areas of knowledge, including cultural, historical, biological, social, and economic issues. Regarding the approach, this was a qualitative action research study, since the researcher was a participant in the object of study and aimed to reduce the gap between theory and practice, contributing to the professional knowledge of all involved in this study. Divided into three stages, the investigation included, in the first stage, the application of questionnaires used as a data generation tool. In the second stage, the teachers’ productions were analyzed, such as planned lesson activities, activity sheets, and other materials. Finally, in the third stage, interviews were conducted with participants, who identified the knowledge involved in lesson planning, the factors that hindered and facilitated the development of activities, such as aspects related to classroom management, time aimed to activities, issues concerning the connection of this knowledge to the objectives of the institution’s curricular document, the adaptation of proposals to different age groups, teacher substitutions, and student interest. These results served as the foundation for the development of the Educational Product "Meliponary as a Pedagogical Context: A Guide to Methodological Suggestions and Activities".