Learning Science by Investigation

by Joana Rodrigues, Paulo Varela

This book is the result of a pedagogical intervention and research project, carried out as part of the curricular internship for the Master's degree in Pre-school Education and Primary School Teaching. The project's general objectives were to promote, in a context of social interaction, the exploration of practical activities in Nature Sciences with pre-school and elementary school children, as well as to understand the contributions of the exploration of these activities in the use and development of children's language. Following the exploration of science activities, activity diaries were prepared, containing detailed descriptions and reflections that highlight the richness of the pedagogical action. The analysis of the diaries, together with the results obtained through other data collection tools, allows us to conclude that the children made good learning experiences about the explored science themes and to verify that the practical science activities promote the creation of a favorable context for the development of children's language skills.