The teaching of chemistry in historical-critical pedagogy: considerations on content and form to think concrete pedagogical work

Abstract

More recent studies on the didactics of historical-critical pedagogy have shown that the Chemistry Teaching community has mechanistically appropriated this pedagogy, restricting itself to following in a linear or alternating way the so-called five moments (social practice, problematization, instrumentalization, catharsis, return to social practice). Understanding this issue and trying to go beyond criticism, this text brings considerations about the dimensions of content and form, two pillars that are essential when dealing with the historical-critical pedagogical praxis of a chemistry teacher. Based on a theoretical study, we argue that a chemical educator who wants to go further in the materialization of historical-critical pedagogy needs to be concerned with teaching content that is real, dynamic, and concrete, not being restricted to teaching internal abstractions of science. In the field of the form, we argue that no didactic procedure should be vetoed a priori by a teacher who wants to work with this pedagogy, the caveat is that such procedures should only be used if they are at the service of teaching the concepts in their scientific, erudite form. We conclude hoping that this text will contribute to the pedagogical work of the chemistry teacher and the researcher in the area of Science Teaching so that these professionals can develop their didactic and research activities in a more conscious and creative way, avoiding mechanisms and with a view to the formation of a subject that will contribute to overcoming this current mode of production.