SCIENCE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: CONNECTING SCHOOL AND SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES TO IMPROVE EDUCATION

Education as a strategic field is constantly called upon to reinvent itself, seeking dialogue with other actors and educational spaces; pedagogical innovation that considers digital transformation; collaborative and non-fragmented teaching based on real problems; and the responsible and interdisciplinary incorporation of technologies. In this context, methodologies aligned with these demands emerge, such as the STEM approach. It is from this approach that the research presented here is developed, with the objectives of stimulating students’ interest in science, enhancing new teaching methodologies, and contributing to the improvement of public basic education. The research is being developed in public basic education schools (early childhood education, elementary education, and high school). Considering Microscopy as a pedagogical tool and a means of articulating STEM disciplines, the project uses images produced at the microscopic level to mobilize students and teachers in the pursuit of innovative teaching, with the pedagogical and responsible use of technology. The methodology used is intervention research, in three stages: the capture, the digital processing, and the exhibition of the processed images. The first stage involves training students and teachers to use a pocket microscope attached to a cellphone or tablet; the second stage involves the use of a specific program for processing the captured images, carried out by the students; and the third stage involves the selection, discussion, and presentation of the processed images with the school community. As a result, a greater interest of the students in science and the pedagogical and responsible use of technologies can be observed, configuring a scenario of possibilities for the STEM approach in schools.