Didactic-methodological approaches of teachers in training when discussing the shape of the Earth with Elementary School students

Abstract

Abstract People's perceptions of the shape of the Earth are discussed extensively, but little is said about how teachers approach this subject. In this research, we seek to gain insight into the pedagogical and methodological strategies that aspiring educators envisage for teaching about this topic. Drawing from Harres’ research, we devised and implemented a questionnaire in which each participant shared instructional and methodological approaches based on their perception of a hypothetical student's response about the Earth’s shape. The findings suggest that the respondents have a pre-existing awareness of the students' perspectives on the matter. Differences between the two groups that came up highlight the significance of pedagogical debates in training future teachers.

Keywords

• Elementary school
• Astronomy education
• Shape of the Earth
• Teacher training