The Curricular Guideline of Basic Education for the teaching of Sciences in the Fundamental Education II of the state of Paraná: the STS approach in question

Abstract

The present qualitative research of descriptive investigative and documentary nature presents an analysis of the Guideline for Basic Education of Science Teaching in Elementary Education II of the State of Paraná, and this document, prepared by the Secretary of Education, together with teachers from the state network, bases the teaching in the State. The objective of the research was to find congruent points between the teaching proposal presented in the Guideline with the Focus on Science, Technology and Society and to verify if precepts of this approach are present in the document. The Guideline presents itself based on critical theory and perpasses themes that are common to the Science and Technology Sciences focus. These themes were constituted in categories of analysis: interdisciplinarity, contextualization, focus on technology, critical formation, social and daily theme. The categories analyzed include a perspective of socio-scientific formation, but do not converge with the approach of Science, Technology and Society, and this approach is not even mentioned in the text of the guideline. The option to privilege work with conceptual content, without being content, puts in the background, or as a motivational factor social and technological issues that should be treated at the same level of scientific issues. It is fundamental in the teaching and learning process to consider both the acquisition of concepts and the re-signification of the student’s experience in social, political and economic context.