Educação em Geociências nos museus paranaenses

Abstract

The purpose of this work is to identify the museums that have collections with themes related to geosciences (geology, meteorite, mineralogy, paleontology, pedology) in the state of Paraná, and from these, to analyze their administrative functions, structural conditions of the collection and educational activities. Of the 328 museums and museum spaces located in Paraná, according to IBRAM and COSEM data, 14 of them have collections with contents corresponding to the thematic scope of this research. Questionnaires applied to the directors of these institutions provided the data for this analysis. The results showed that university museums make up the largest number of museums (46% of the museums are university, 20% are municipal and 13% are state museums) and are also the ones that receive the most diversification of sources and financial resources. In relation to the content related to geosciences, paleontology and mineralogy are the most present themes in the museums, because the scientific research on the theme in Paraná dates back to the XIX century. The data also showed that there is a diversity in educational activities and that all museums offer more than one activity during the visits, the guided tour being complemented by other educational activities such as: workshops, handling of replicas and object kits, access to books, folders and pamphlets, among other fun activities, which promote learning involving different sensory stimulation. For these activities, the function of the monitors is indispensable, because besides guiding the visits, they are the main responsible for evaluating the visitors' experience. Furthermore, social networks play a key role in 71% of the museums that use these platforms to publicize their educational activities. As for the Museological Plan, the document that defines the strategies and the action of museums in the community (provided in the Statute of Museums, Law No. 11904/09), only one museum has the Museological Plan in accordance with IBRAM. The other museums, that still do not have it, indicated that the lack of professional museologists interferes directly in its preparation. Finally, it is concluded that museums in Paraná related to geosciences promote museum education according to the National Policy of Museum Education, because of the contact with the musealized object, technological and material resources that stimulate learning through the senses, interaction with the content and integration with the agents of the process, as well as how these experiences are evaluated.