This communication results from a pedagogical intervention project, carried out at a primary school in the district of Braga -Portugal. The intervention took place in a class of the 3 rd year, composed of 16 students, and it incorporated the practice of inquiry-based science teaching addressing the theme "Light Experiments", which is part of the "Environmental Studies" curricular area. Various class activities were planned and implemented concerning some of the factors that influence the shadow of an object, in order to find answers to the following three questions: a) will 3 rd year students, aged 7/8 years, be able to construct and execute an investigation strategy that involves manipulating and controlling variables? b) what are the main difficulties experienced by students in the designing and execution of such a strategy? c) how will students, in interaction with the teacher and with their peers, gradually design and execute their investigation strategy in order to respond to the problem formulated? The project adopted an action research methodology. A careful record was kept of the events most relevant to the questions under study in each class. This data was used to prepare the class diaries -descriptive and reflective narratives prepared based on recorded audio and field notes made during participant observation in the context of the classroom. A content analysis of the diaries has identified a few elements that provide answers to the research questions raised. In order to plan and implement a research project with children in the 7/8 years old range require a high level of scaffolding to allow students to gradually build a coherent strategy to tackle the research problem. Teacher's role is crucial. The teacher, by questioning and inducing reasoning and discussion, promotes encourages and regulates the cognitive activity of students. Some level of autonomy should be given to the students in large group collaborative work.
This project adopted an action research methodology and had as its main objectives: a) to promote a practical and experimental approach to the science component of the Environmental Studies curricular area; b) to describe the scientific meaning construction process inherent to the topics addressed in the classroom with the children, c) to assess the learning steps and children' achievements. Class diaries were prepared, based on field notes and audio recordings taken in the classroom. Through the analysis of the class diary concerning the topic "materials that let light travel through them" we intend to illustrate the process of construction of scientific meanings promoted in the classroom with our approach.
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