The knowledge of physics in teacher training in the first levels of elementary school

Abstract

Changes in the way we perceive learning show that teacher training has an important role in the field of teachers’ development. It means that this professional needs to have the opportunity to learn about his pedagogical practice continuously, about the scientific contents that he/she must teach and about how students learn. Regarding the teaching of science in the first levels, this discussion is very useful if we consider that the preservice teacher training of the majority of the teachers doesn’t prepare them to teach such a subject, and principally, it doesn’t prepare them to use the investigative methodology. This work analyses, through the teachers’ records, the influence of strategies of development among teachers. This work was based on solving problems in Physics in a course of teacher training which is focused on discussing the teaching of science in the perspective of investigation. To work with, but not about the teachers, we adopted a qualitative approach, using action-research as a strategy of knowledge and a method of investigation. We concluded that using strategies of problem-solving in the process of teacher training can be an important resource to the learning of teaching and to the learning of the scientific contents that must be worked with the students. It also increases the possibility of involving them with tasks and motivates them to action. So for this to happen we need to offer continuous teaching training, where in addition to experiencing problem-solving as learners they can also collectively discuss their practice.