Paleontologia na licenciatura em ciências biológicas: impactos na formação docente

Abstract

Teacher education has been widely discussed over the years by researchers from different fields of expertise. In this regard, we highlight the field of science teaching, which, in this case, is our object of interest and research. This is a qualitative, documentary-based study. We analyzed the Pedagogical Course Project of a Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences (Teaching Degree) at a federal public university, in the in-person modality. We examined the changes in the offering of the Paleontology course within the aforementioned program, including its course load, syllabi, and suggested bibliographies for the students. In our analysis, 6 content topics were offered in the 2023 syllabus, whereas 9 content topics are offered in the 2026 syllabus; although, upon analysis, they converge regarding the proposed content of each topic. What raises some concern was the removal of a topic addressing fossils from the state of MS, which, in our view, results in a loss of knowledge acquisition regarding the fossils present in our state.