University extension course for teachers of Natural Sciences on the thematic unit “Earth and Universe”

Abstract

The National Common Curricular Base approved by the Ministry of Education presents themes of Earth Sciences that must be developed in all the years of elementary education. However, studies have identified insufficient content of Earth Science in the curricula of the initial formation of Pedagogues, which usually teach from the 1st to the 5th years of elementary education, and by teachers of Natural Sciences, who teach from the 6th to the 9th years of the same cycle of basic education. Thus, it is necessary to complement the initial teacher training. An alternative is the extension courses, which would strengthen the academic knowledge of teachers. This paper aims to describe a proposal for a course of improvement, classified as semi-presencial university extension, focusing on fundamental themes of Earth Sciences. The course is designed for teachers who teach Natural Sciences in basic schools. As long as it is a pilot project to be developed at the Institute of Geosciences of Unicamp, under the administration of the School of Extension also of Unicamp, quantitative and qualitative research will be done to promote adjustments that may lead to a final proposal, which may be offered periodically. The pedagogical project will be made available to other higher education institutions that may be interested.