Do horizonte local às representações da Terra e demais astros no espaço: um minicurso para professores e planetaristas

Abstract

The dissertation aims to contribute to the training of teachers and planetarium professionals, in a perspective of partnership between formal and non-formal environments, taking into account two general problems: the existence and propagation of representations of astronomy subjects that do not fit with the current scientific models; and the usual shortage of astronomy teaching in early teacher training. It is based on studies that address difficulties in the spatial representations of astronomical phenomena, particularly those related to the shape of the Earth and the structures of the Universe, and in studies about the importance of integrating local and global perspectives in the interpretation of these phenomena. These studies supported a research that we developed about the representations of a group of 6th-year, Elementary School students on the shape of the Earth and the structures of the Universe, before and after a visit to the UFRN “Barca dos Céus” Mobile Planetarium which led to the improvement of sessions and teaching activities developed in that planetarium. The research data and the reflections around the activities resulted in the main educational product of this work, which is a Mini-course proposal for teachers and planetarium professionals, composed of three 4-hour meetings and 3 hours of distance learning activities, making up a total of 15 hours. Articulated to a planetarium session, the proposal contemplates the realization and discussion of the theoretical foundations of a set of activities, among which one can highlight: the recording of the local horizon; the orientation of a globe parallel to the Earth; the exploration of movable pieces representing the planets of the Solar System in proportional scale to each other; the collective discussion of data from the research covered in this dissertation, the data collected by the participants, and the observation of planets with a telescope. In a first edition of the mini-course, which was attended by five Basic Education teachers, three planetarium professionals and four physicists, the evaluation made by the participants, both orally and through a questionnaire, showed a balanced appreciation of all the proposed moments. Most recurrent observations: the contact with the studies about the representations of the students; and the reflections provided by the collective Recording of the local horizon and the parallel Globe. We consider that the mini-course in the proposed format was very satisfactory, encouraging the use of practical and outdoor activities, the perception of astronomical phenomena from the local and global perspectives, and the expansion of perception of our place in the Universe, besides providing rich exchange experiences among those involved. The elaborated proposal will continue to be implemented with the Planetarium team in the training of new planetarium professionals and professionals in Basic Education, and it is hoped that the description of the mini-course and the theoretical discussions of the activities presented in this dissertation will enable other groups to perform with the adaptations deemed necessary.