COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE AND SCIENTIFIC LITERACY: developments in the preparation of a science fair
Scientific Literacy, Science Fair, Community of Practice
Research that deals with the process of Scientific Literacy increasingly focuses on reflections that permeate the clarification of their conceptions, their objectives, possible evaluative indicators, as well as paths that favor their experience at school. We understand Science Fairs as a privileged locus to foster processes that contribute to Scientific Literacy, not only of students, but of multiple subjects, teachers, supervisors, and school managers, embedded in this doing. Given the above, this research seeks to investigate the process of preparation for a Science Fair, structured from the design of a Community of Practice (CoP) and its contributions to Scientific Literacy. The design of a community of practice brings together groups of people who unite around a joint venture, seeking to develop and share ways of doing things, ways of speaking, beliefs, values – in short, practices – as a function of their involvement in mutual activity. We hope, from the experience of the community of practice, as a methodological strategy for the development of research, to identify the conceptions of CoP participants on Science Fairs and Scientific Literacy and to analyze how the process of sharing knowledge and experiences about Science Fair and Scientific Literacy at CoP encourages new practices in participating teachers.