The teaching of Natural Sciences and deaf students in the nineteenth century

Abstract:

The formal education of deaf students in Brazil began in the nineteenth century, more precisely in 1856, with the foundation of the first specialized institution in this regard, the National College for the Deaf-Mutes of Both Genders, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The present study aims to present evidence of the development of science education for deaf students from 1856 to 1889 at the National College for the Deaf-Mutes of Both Sexes. This research is qualitative and documentary. The documentary corpus consisted of primary sources, such as a compilation of reports and specific Laws of the Brazilian Empire. With this study, we note that the teaching of natural sciences was not expected in the curriculum prescribed for deaf students in their school years within the institute, but that it was integrated into the said curriculum through extra-class activities developed in the school museum.

Keywords:
Death education; Science teaching; Special education