Geologia/Geociências no Ensino Fundamental e a Formação de Professores

Abstract

This paper aims to foster the idea that Geology and Geosciences themes and field work are quite important for the cognitive development of secondary school pupils of the 5th to 8th grades (11 to 14 years of age) and have a role distinct from that of physics, chemistry and biology at this level. One of the distinctive features is the field work, having an interdisciplinary approach, is able to favor the building of a more integrated and broader view of the socio-environmental issues by showing: 1. the relation among environment, geology and society; 2. the relation between specific fields of knowledge; 3. the pedagogical integration and organization of the subject or course. In addition, I discuss the approach to socio-environmental themes in an interdisciplinary view, the training of reflective teachers and constructivism, which comprises the basic framework for independent, critical people with their own ethical and moral evaluation, capable of taking part in confronting the problems faced at present by humanity as a result of the state of globalization, technological domination and socio-environmental crisis. These assumptions, and the need to make them operational to ensure the training of teaching staff, lead us to the discussion on the concepts of nature and education, which involve: new attitudes and values with regard to the relationships between human-beings and Earth; Geology as a historical science, interpreting and encompassing nature; revitalizing field work; school as one of the social environments for the construction of knowledge; and the exercise of the interdisciplinary studies. These assumptions also lead us to the discussion on the teaching training role, teachers as critical professionals, in order to favor critical attitudes, independence, respect for diversity, the cooperative attitude and transformer action towards a fairer society more integrated with nature.