STEM EDUCATION: THE USE OF CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS AS METHODOLOGICAL STRATEGIES IN THE INITIAL TRAINING OF TEACHERS

Abstract

This study aims to discuss the approach to socio-scientific issues (SSI) in a way that enables teachers in the early years of schooling to implement critical science teaching, supported by the relationships between science, technology, society, and the environment (STSE). We understand that this requires students to participate, even during their initial training, in discussions on controversial topics. To this end, we have chosen the theme of the use of medicines and pesticides in society as the central point for the development of an experimental research proposal in the pedagogy course. Thus, two fields of study are related: STSE education and, particularly, the study of socio-scientific issues; based on the theoretical and methodological framework of research supported by the argumentative discursive process, in the Theory of Communicative Action (HABERMAS, 2012). The central question we address is: how can argumentation based on a STS (Science, Technology, and Society) approach, revolving around a controversial, contextualized, and real-world theme, contribute to discussions about methodological changes in traditional/banking education to promote the social and critical development of students? Anchored in the understanding that life on the planet is ailing, we have chosen the use of pesticides and pharmaceuticals in contemporary society as a socio-scientific theme, since both the soil and the human body are targets of the routine use of toxic substances produced by the chemical industry (MARINHO; MENDONÇA, 2008). The growth of the pharmaceutical and pesticide industries in the contemporary business world has transformed sustainable growth into a synonym for durable growth, protecting the profits of large multinational corporations. According to Lutzenberger (1985), even though they are toxic, the use of pesticides and medications has become a lucrative cycle. Both pesticides and medications follow the same path, being used to act on the symptoms, not the causes of diseases. The solution is also considered a temporary cure with their excessive use, generating, for example, bacterial resistance to antibiotics, requiring more potent medications. In capitalism, profit maximization is a priority, so pesticides are used to increase productivity and reduce losses, encouraging farmers to produce more in less time. These issues are conveyed by the media, raising concerns that can be brought into teacher training courses, fostering debates, criticism, questioning, and discussions, as is expected in teaching based on controversial issues (CONRADO; NUNES-NETO, 2018). Proposing situations for discussion and argumentation in teaching and learning processes demands initial and ongoing training that provides the necessary support for carrying out these approaches. Adaptations to the proposal are pertinent, according to the teacher's objectives and the level of education, making it plausible to include actions with controversial themes from elementary school to undergraduate studies. Such actions encompass important aspects in student development, such as the development of critical thinking and oral and written expression, as well as the ability to work in groups (HODSON, 2018). With this research, we hope to contribute to the professional development of teachers working in the early years of schooling, valuing their individual and collective experiences, giving them the opportunity to reflect on basic education teaching, with an emphasis on the personal commitment to responsible and critical community participation based on controversial issues, aiming at possible contributions to science education in the early years of schooling.