Teacher training for teaching about soils

an experience with undergraduate students of a licentiate degree in biology

Abstract

Soil education aims to raise people’s awareness of soil and its functions in the ecosystem and society, as well as the need for its conservation. One way to achieve this goal can be through the popularization of soil studies in schools. Nevertheless, there are many problems in soil education in elementary schools, for example the
teacher’s formation. The aim of this work was to report and discuss a methodology for training biology students (licentiature) to teach about soil in elementary schools, aiming during the teaching training students active, engaged and conscious of their role as teachers. The work was developed with four students from the undergraduate biology course with a licentiature teaching permit at campus São Gabriel of the Universidade
Federal do Pampa during the second academic semester in 2015. The classes were divided into theoretical and practical. The practical classes were developed at an elementary school in São Gabriel, RS, Brazil, with sixth grade students. These classes were organized and led by the undergraduate students (future teachers), with
experiments and games about soil. After each class, the undergraduate students completed reports and selfassessments about their performances. Teaching about soils with solely practical activities—in this case, by using small experiments and games—increased the children’s attention and learning progress. During the
semester, undergraduate students were encouraged to reflect about their training and expertise as a teacher. Considering the observations and discussions developed about the theme, the commitment and progress of the
students to their teaching activity, and their performance managing practical classes as sixth grade teachers, it is possible to conclude that this study, in the way it was developed, has contributed to the training of these future
teachers, motivating them to elaborate lessons about soils.