A Unidade Curricular de Literacia Científica como Promotora de Aprendizagens Ativas no Ensino Superior

Abstract

The Degree Course in Basic Education (BA) of the School of Education and Communication of the University of Algarve offers to the 3rd year students different and optional curricular units (CU). Scientific Literacy is one of those optional curricular units that has been taught in a different and innovative way, contrasting with the premises of a more traditional method, encouraging an active learning concept, based on the social-constructivist paradigm and putting the student at the heart of learning and the teacher as facilitator of those same learnings. The concept of Scientific Literacy has been of prime importance in educational research in recent years, especially as regards its importance for children attending the first stages of school. The fact that children have early contact with basic elements of science will enable them to later understand and act on the natural and social environment. It is therefore up to future teachers and educators to foster a taste for learning science from an early age, so that one can have scientifically literate citizens in the future. This study of a particular context presented here, which took place in the 2017/2018 school year, is based on a qualitative methodology, and its main purpose is to ascertain the perceptions of BA 3rd year students about: the selection of this curricular unit; the methodology adopted in this CU; and its implementation, planning and evaluation. With this study it was found that students identify the Scientific Literacy as a dynamic CU, where they had an active voice in their learning, allowing the development of skills of various kinds and the construction of their own knowledge.