Percepções de estudantes de licenciatura em Ciências Naturais sobre uma unidade didática acerca da humanização das ciências com base nos estudos de Gregor Mendel sobre a hereditariedade

This work was a qualitative study aimed at investigating the perceptions of a group (n=4) of undergraduates enrolled at a Science teachers’ program about a teaching unit. The unit covers the humanization of science and the image of scientist concerning the work of Gregor Mendel. It was composed by a Philosophy for Children modeled science story named The monk who planted peas and an accompanying teachers’ manual. The story was read by the participants and classroom dialogue followed each chapter. Data collection tools were used such as interviews, questionnaires, descriptive logs, the researcher’s logs and materials produced by the participants during the course to assess their perceptions. The participants found the unit useful, especially regarding how language was used to help in understanding difficult concepts. The results indicate that Philosophy for Children modeled materials can be applied to science teaching, especially if one is concerned with teaching for critical thinking.