É pau, é pedra, será o fim do caminho? Potencialidades educativas e científicas dos museus para a formação permanente de professores.

Abstract

This thesis is anchored in the research line Foundations and Educational Practices. Is the result of reflections arising from our experiences with educational practices in museums and science spaces over the last 12 years of teaching. The central research question can be summarized as follows: "What is the scientific-educational potential of museums in teacher education, with a focus on teaching elementary school science in public schools?" To address this question, we employed a set of qualitative methodologies, guided by Edgar Morin's concept of complexity and the critical theory of knowledge. These methodologies included an exploratory literature review, documentary research, questionnaires, and focus groups. For data analysis, we relied on Fontoura's studies on thematic analysis. The main objective of this study is to "explore how pre-service teachers and in-service teachers perceive the potential of museums as a methodological resource for teaching science in elementary education." The founding principle of this thesis is centered on Candau's concept of the teaching-learning process. According to Candau, didactics is grounded in the multidimensionality of the teaching-learning process, which encompasses three dimensions: human, technical, and socio-political. As the teaching- learning process is the central thread of the entire educational journey, teacher education is inherently embedded in these three dimensions, along with its various facets—such as didactics, curriculum, internships, and teaching practices. Thus, ongoing teacher education must be understood as a multidimensional and multifaceted process. Given that teacher education is intrinsically tied to engaging with scientific concepts and understanding science and techniques through prior knowledge, we posit that museums serve as essential tools for fostering these understandings. Their collections provide a wealth of elements that can be explored through a scientific lens, building upon the spontaneous concepts that students already bring from their out-of-class experiences. Museums, therefore, hold great potential as instruments for scientific literacy. The findings of this research highlight the importance of the inseparability of theory and practice—a principle that should underpin the entire process of teacher education. Additionally, this study presents a set of propositions to initiate debates and discussions about the chronic crisis in teacher education in Brazil. In conclusion, the study argues that teacher education can only succeed if it effectively addresses and overcomes the conflicts, contradictions, obstacles, and challenges inherent in education and in the comprehensive development of learners.