The non-formal space and the science teaching: a case study in the Center of Sciences and Planetarium of the State of Pará (Brazil)

Abstract

Constantly, different ways of doing and thinking about teaching come knocking on school doors, inviting schools to rethink about their relationship with the community. More and more, non-formal spaces of education have been considered a field of research in the science education area. Science Museums are attractive spaces for the general public and especially for schools, where the teachers can seek other ways to teach and enhance learning of basic education. In this perspective, this study aimed to assess how science is taught in the Center of Sciences and Planetarium of the State of Pará (CCPP). This study has a qualitative approach, using the case study method (single and holistic) as a strategy, and a Written Discourse Analysis (WDA) was used for description and data analysis. The research subjects were undergraduate students (biology, physics and chemistry) who work as monitors in the CCPP. From the data obtained it is observed that the division between formal/non-formal/informal science education is a tenuous and permeable line, which allows characteristics to transcend the hermetic definitions of the area’s literature. It has been found that there are many formal/informal characteristics in non-formal science education. The teaching of hybrid science emerges in research as a possibility of mixing spaces, public, methodologies and objectives. It is considered with this discussion that the field of non-formal science teaching is emerging as an area of exponent research and of inevitable encounter for schools, universities and for society as a whole.

Keywords

• ensino de ciências
• educação científica
• espaço não formal