Continuing teachers’ education in Elementary school’s early years: The impact of a science museum’s Continuing education program from critical-reflective bias

Abstract:

In this study, we aim to evaluate a science museum’s continuing education course for teachers that work with elementary school’s early years, from a socially vulnerable region in Baixada Fluminense at Rio de Janeiro state. This course was based on the critical-reflective approach and the evaluation was done one semester after the activity’s completion, through semi-structured interviews and photo analysis. With the results, we found significant changes in teachers’ practices and new methodologies’ inclusion, interdisciplinarity, planning and organization of the science course. Thus, the teachers understood the importance of science to the early years, and recognized the different possibilities and potentials of the discipline for the child’s holistic education.

Keywords:
education; Early years of elementary school; Continuing teacher education.