Uma engenharia didática de formação para professores de ciências sob a perspectiva da cultura maker no desenvolvimento de competências digitais

Abstract

The teaching of Natural Sciences in basic education, crucial for both scientific and civic development, faces the ongoing challenge of keeping pace with the demands of the digital era. In this context, the continuous professional development of teachers in the use of technology emerges as an urgent necessity. This study investigated the potential of Didactic Engineering for Teacher Training (Engenharia Didática de Formação – EDF) as a model for developing teachers’ digital competencies. Anchored in the Theory of Didactic Situations and guided by the principles of Maker Education, the research aimed to analyze the contributions of an EDF – based training program to the development of digital competencies among Natural Science teachers in the final years of elementary education in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. The investigation followed the methodological principles of Didactic Engineering, emphasizing its second-generation approach. Data collection involved a group of 30 teachers from the Municipal Department of Education who participated in a training process conducted in the FabLearn laboratories of the Center for Excellence in Educational Policies at the Federal University of Ceará. The hybrid program, consisting of five in-person meetings interspersed with on-line activities, implemented Formative Didactic Situations focused on Maker Culture, Computational Modeling, Digital Fabrication, and Virtual Simulation, using a wide range of software and tools available in the FabLearn environments. Data analysis, based on the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods, considered three main dimensions: (1) the evolution of teaching competencies in light of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) and the National Common Base for Teacher Education (BNC – Formação Continuada); (2) participants’ perceptions, collected through the SEEQ questionnaire; and (3) the analysis of Maker didactic sequences designed by the teachers participating in the research. The comparison between a priori and a posteriori analysis validated the effectiveness of the proposal and provided essential insights for achieving the research objectives. The findings indicate that Didactic Engineering for Teacher Training, by integrating the Theory of Didactic Situations and Maker Education, constitutes a consistent methodology for the continuous professional development of Natural Science teachers. This integration fostered progress in the appropriation of digital technologies, encouraged more creative and collaborative pedagogical practices, and promoted science teaching aligned with the demands of digital culture and the competencies established by the BNCC. Although challenges remain, particularly regarding the consolidation of Digital Citizenship and the improvement of schools’ structural conditions, the results demonstrate the transformative potential of EDF as an innovative and socially relevant training model, strengthening scientific and technological education in Brazil and fostering the essential competencies for teaching in the 21st century.