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Science Teacher Education in Brazil: 1950–2000

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the most significant events occurring in Brazil’s educational, social and political areas over the last half century, viewed against a background of relevant worldwide events. The hypothesis presented here is that the relations between the country’s educational policies, the demands of the various segments of academia, and the public school system have always been strained. This strain has contributed positively to the evolution of academic knowledge and production, to the design of more modern curricular projects by institutional authorities, and to the initial recognition of the specific construction of school knowledge by the school system itself. However, the interaction of these major institutions lacks a crucial element—one that would lead to an effective change in the education of science teachers and produce a positive impact on Brazil’s schools—namely, the wholehearted participation of science teachers themselves. With this analysis, we intend to contribute by offering some perspectives and proposals for science teacher education in Brazil.

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Notes

  1. MEC—Ministry of Education and Culture.

  2. CADES—Campaign for the Diffusion and Improvement of Secondary Education.

  3. CNPq—National Research Council.

  4. IFT—Institute of Theoretical Physics.

  5. These renewal influences originated from the 1932 Manifesto of the Pioneers of New Education, which proposed to replace so-called traditional education methods by an active methodology.

  6. ITA—Institute of Aeronautical Technology.

  7. IBECC—Brazilian Institute of Education, Science, and Culture.

  8. FUNBEC—Brazilian Foundation for the Development of Science Teaching.

  9. LDB—Law of Directives and Bases [in Education].

  10. In Brazil, this educational level was called Gymnasium and was the 4-year course following the first four years of primary school.

  11. MOBRAL—Brazilian Movement for Literacy.

  12. In the late 60s, all secondary public schools received 10 complete sets of PSSC projects and several teacher-training courses were offered by CECISP—São Paulo Center for Science Education.

  13. CFE—Federal Education Council.

  14. Short Licentiation—Graduates of this 3-year course became accredited schoolteachers.

  15. SBPC—Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science.

  16. ANDES—National Association of Higher Education; CNTE—National Confederation of Education Workers.

  17. ABI—Brazilian Press Association; OAB—Lawyers Order of Brazil.

  18. LDBEN—Law of Directives and Bases of National Education.

  19. SPEC—Subprogram for Science Education.

  20. CAPES – Coordinating Office for the Betterment of University Graduates.

  21. PADCT—Scientific and Technological Development Support Program.

  22. STS—Science, Technology and Society.

  23. PLON—a physics curriculum development project.

  24. GREF—Physics Teaching Restructuring Group; GEPEQ—Teaching and Research Group in Chemistry Education.

  25. This author developed his theory in the US, returning to and deepening the theses propounded by Dewey, an American educational theorist who predominated in his country’s educational scene up until the launch of the Sputnik, and whose ideas about the education of the “complete man” were drastically reduced to their technical aspects in order to achieve the same efficacy as that of the Russians.’

  26. In Brazil, these courses were known as “Supletivo”—short-term supplementary courses attended mostly by underprivileged adults unable to study as children or adolescents.

  27. PCN—National Curricular Parameters.

  28. ENEM—National High School Exam.

  29. Provão—a national exam taken by university students in their last year.

  30. ISE—Institute of Higher Education.

  31. Interamerican Development Bank.

  32. FAPESP—São Paulo State Research Support Foundation.

  33. The corresponding PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) assessments conducted in 32 countries in 2000 revealed Brazil’s poor situation: Brazilian students ranked at the bottom.

  34. From this standpoint, an editorial of the Revista Brasileira de Ensino de Física (Brazilian Journal of Physics Education) 23,4 pp. 367–368 published an interesting comment “...In my modest opinion, it is crucial to offer a strong bedrock of content (theoretical and experimental), enrich it with historical and epistemological aspects, focus it on new technologies and, from that point on, work on competencies with specific meanings. We must fight for a better educational content, beginning with a process of assessment of our courses and students (prior to the national exam), sensitizing our colleagues to our students’ learning difficulties and attracting young researcher teachers to the indispensable changes required in physics teaching...”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physics, University of São Paulo. Rua do Matão, Travessa R, 187, São Paulo, SP, 05508-900, Brazil

    Alberto Villani & Jesuina Lopes de Almeida Pacca

  2. Department of Teaching Methodology, Federal University of São Carlos, Rod. Washington Luis, Km 235, São Carlos, SP, 13565-905, Brazil

    Denise de Freitas

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  1. Alberto Villani
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  2. Jesuina Lopes de Almeida Pacca
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  3. Denise de Freitas
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Correspondence to Denise de Freitas.

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Denise de Freitas is partially funded by CNPq (Brazil)

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Villani, A., de Almeida Pacca, J.L. & de Freitas, D. Science Teacher Education in Brazil: 1950–2000. Sci & Educ 18, 125–148 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-007-9116-4

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