O “ensinar” da ciência: reflexões sobre letramento científico e educação ambiental na prática

Abstract

Grounded in the context of science education and facing socio-environmental urgency, this undergraduate thesis draws on Historical-Critical Pedagogy and Historical-Cultural Psychology to reflect on the processes of Scientific Literacy and Environmental Education in teaching practice. The aim is to identify strengths and challenges in teaching science in non-formal settings, based on the experience of the Marine Environmental Education Program (PEAM) at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). For this purpose, a qualitative autoethnographic approach was adopted, supported by participant observation, document analysis (such as reports and scheduling spreadsheets), and the researcher's own accounts of her experiences as a scholarship holder in the program from April 2025 to June 2026. The results showed that PEAM stands out for serving audiences of different ages, having a significant digital presence, producing relevant academic material, adapting to limitations, dialoguing with traditional knowledge, and articulating affect and scientific literacy. On the other hand, important challenges were identified: the fragility and informality of activity records, insufficient transportation logistics, discontinuity of actions, lack of systematization of volunteers' perceptions, and, above all, the severe structural conditions of the headquarters, ranging from leaks and lack of basic equipment to health risks. The research indicates that, although the program has transformative potential, these internal and external contradictions compromise the effectiveness of Environmental Education. This reinforces the need for educators committed to environmental justice, who value students' prior knowledge, and who recognize the essential role of the affective dimension in science teaching to foster more critical and ecologically aware individuals.