Fieldwork activity in Serra of Sicó (Central Portugal): a innovative
strategy in teaching and learning Geology
Abstract
In Portugal, the official curriculum of Natural Sciences (NS) in middle
and high schools has highlighted the importance of a greater
school-environment relationship, and calls for the need to complement
activities in the classroom with the development of practical activities
in the field. The development of activities of this type, taking into
account the curriculum and the potentialities of the region where the
schools are located, is considered an innovative and motivating strategy
to be implemented in middle and high schools, in Science Education in
general, and Geosciences in particular. Recognizing the importance of
these activities in teaching and learning Geology, a fieldwork activity
planned and applied to students of the 7th grade, in the discipline of
NS, was carried out at the end of the 2017/2018 academic year, at Pombal
Middle and High School. The field activity took place in the Serra of
Sicó (central Portugal), in the Leiria district because this area has a
great geological interest, namely diverse karst formations and
geological structures. The organization of the fieldwork followed the
guidelines of the Orion model and the field script that was presented
made it possible to understand scientific concepts, to favour the
participation of students in their learning, to promote the scientific
education of school-age citizens and to stimulate awareness of the value
and preservation of the geological heritage. The results of the activity
evaluation indicate that the students considered their experience in
this fieldwork activity very helpful, and that it helped in the
acquisition of knowledge and development of skills.