Introduction to teaching: Reflections of the PIBID biology project on the training of graduates and on improving the quality of teaching in public schools Gabriel Goulart Silva, Raphaela dos Santos Gonçalves, Jorge Luis Santos

Abstract

The PIBID Project (Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Grants), subsidized by the MEC in partnership with CAPES and schools in the public basic education network and undergraduate courses at Brazilian HEIs, is a program to promote and encourage the initiation of teaching. It offers undergraduate students the opportunity to have the experience of being a teacher while still in their undergraduate studies. In a context where teachers are increasingly required to be innovative and pluralistic, different teaching methodologies in education have been widely discussed. The choice of a specific approach must take into account the social, cultural and cognitive factors of the students in question so that it satisfactorily meets their individual learning means. This study aimed to evaluate the positive impacts suffered by PIBID scholarship holders as a result of their participation in the program and to evaluate laboratory practices as a didactic-pedagogical tool in science teaching, a methodology used by undergraduate students as a way of improving and complementing the traditional “textbook” resource. The research was conducted at the Lourdes Ortiz Municipal Education Unit in the city of Santos/SP, linked to PIBID during the 2015 school year with 6th grade elementary school students. Qualitative and quantitative empirical experimental research methodology was used for measurable data. Thus, the extent of the intervention mechanism's effect was assessed through questionnaires, tests, behavioral observation and categorical content analysis. As a result, a clear improvement in student learning was observed in practical classes, also generating more participatory classes, where the student proposed to carry out the experiment. Oral questions about the concepts taught flowed in a very natural and objective manner. Some students even showed scientific interest in other areas of biology, contributing with guidelines for new projects at school. Given these results, it is clear that it is important for undergraduates to participate in projects such as PIBID, which allow them to test and decide which teaching methodology best fits the topics they need to address.