Focus given to Astronomy in the new Paraná High School education

Abstract

The article analyzes the approach to Astronomy education in Paraná’s New High School curriculum, using the RCO (Registro de Classe Online) platform. The 2022 reform introduced the platformization of education, with intensive use of digital technologies such as RCO, which provides pre-structured lessons in video and PPT format. An analysis of Astronomy lessons on RCO reveals that the content is concentrated in the first trimester of the first year of high school. However, conceptual errors were identified, such as the incorrect representation of Earth’s orbital eccentricity, as well as gaps in the curriculum, including the absence of the application of the Law of Universal Gravitation to explain the motion of artificial satellites. Furthermore, the instructional material presents issues of clarity and accuracy, with grammatical and conceptual errors. The study concludes that, although Paraná’s curriculum aims for an integrated and critical education, the current implementation of lessons, guided by standardized assessments and lecture-based approaches, does not fully achieve these objectives. A restructuring of lessons is recommended to incorporate more interactive and integrated methodologies, ensuring a meaningful and critical understanding of astronomical concepts.

keywords
Astronomy; Teaching; Educational Policies; Standardization