Abstract:

The Junior Science Research Project [1-3] is a didactic strategy that aims to slowly introduce children, starting with the 1st grade, into the scientific methodology. It intends to gradually involve them into the critical scientific thinking and methodology, taking into account science as a practice that includes a structured body of concepts which can explain and predict observable phenomena, a way of thinking and a body of skills.

The document Evolution of Student Interest in Science and Technology [4], identifies the teaching methodologies as one of the reasons for the lost of interest in science. Also Osborne andDillon [5] identified the need of EU governments to develop strategies that enable the identification of skills and key knowledge in what respects scientific literacy.

What perceptions do future teachers have towards the need to develop Higher Order Cognitive Skills to nurture a sustainable learning of natural sciences?

The Junior Science team proposed an inquiry to be responded by future primary teachers aiming to understand what the concerns of these future professional were and also what solutions would they propose.

The main investigation question was: At what extent the development of attention and concentration is present on the preoccupations of future elementary school teachers? Is there time to do it given the curriculum needs? The second one was: What innovative strategies do these future educators could propose to develop those particular skills on 5-7 year old students?

The universe of data collection were students of a master in elementary school teachers mastered in Instituto Superior de Educação e Ciências in Lisbon.

We would like to share some of the results and conclusions that can be taken by this particular approach because it is in the core of the Junior Science Project concern: to be a response to a real need. A helpful and most expected strategy to be used by teachers and educators to develop attention and concentration skills in order to nurture a sustainable learning of science methodology.

References:
[1] Costa, F., Pratas, H. & Paramés. A. (2014) Junior Science Project— Developing Attention and Concentration Skills to Nurture a Sustainable Learning of Natural Sciences. US-China Education Review US-China Education Review A, ISSN 2161-623X Feb. 2014, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp.125-128.
[2] Costa, F., Pratas, H. & Paramés, A. (2014) Junior Science - Nurturing Children’s Interest in Scientific Knowledge in New Perspectives in Science Education International Conference Proceedings, Florence.
[3] Costa, F., Pratas, H. & Paramés. A. (2014). The Win-Win Interaction between the 1st grade Teacher and the Junior Science Project. INTED2014, 8th International Technology, Education and Development Conference Proceedings 10th-12th March 2014, Valencia, Spain, IATED ISSN: 2340-1079 ISBN: 978-84-616-8412-0, pp. 6804-6806.
[4] Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. OECD (2006). Evolution of Student Interest in Science and technology. Policy Report.
http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/16/30/36645825.pdf
[5] Osborne J., (2003) Attitudes towards science: a review of the literature and its implications. Int. J. Sci. Educ., Vol. 25, nº. 9, pp. 1049–1079.

Keywords:

Elementary school teaching, development of critical thinking, scientific knowledge.