Evaluation of a Continuing Education Course as Method of Capacitation of High School Teachers in Genetics

• Autor(a) principal: dos Santos Filho, Ronaldo
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Outros Autores: Cestari, Marta Margarete, Furtado Alle, Lupe, Morais Leme, Daniela
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Tear: Revista de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ifrs.edu.br/index.php/tear/article/view/5068

Abstract: Genetics’ contents are pointed out by Biology students and teachers among the most complex in high school. This article aims to describe the elaboration and to evaluate the potential and possible limitations of a continuing education course in Genetics for Biology teachers, as a method to minimize teaching-learning difficulties in this subject. Initially, in order to structure the course, the authors applied diagnostic questionnaires related to the teaching-learning process of Genetics with students (n = 1140) and Biology teachers (n = 52) from 40 public schools in Curitiba/PR. From the data collected, we verified that the non-use of alternative teaching methodologies in Genetics was one of the main factors associated with students' learning difficulties. Additionally, we observed that the low use of these methodologies was related to the theoretical and practical gaps of Biology's teachers about  Genetics. Aiming to minimize the theoretical-practical lags of teachers, we structured and carried out the course “Desenrolando a Genética '' with 33 teachers in ten modules. The potential and limitations of the course were measured from responses given to comparative questionnaires at the beginning and the end of the course and from forms that reported the participating teachers' viewpoints in relation to the activities carried out and the course. These data indicated that despite small limitations, the course contributed to minimizing the theoretical and practical gaps of the teachers, enabling better teaching of genetics at schools. Future studies are needed to verify whether students are reducing their learning difficulties in Genetics. Keywords: Alternative methodologies. Continuing Education. Genetics teaching.