Leitura de imagem e Educação CTS: fotografias com temas socioambientais como possibilidade de promover ação social responsável

Abstract

Contemporary society has undergone countless drastic social, political, economic and environmental transformations as a result of the accelerated process of science and technology. These changes have a direct impact on human behavior and action, such as basic survival needs - food, health, housing, education, information, employment and sustainability. For these reasons, science education has been gaining ground in different levels of education and areas of knowledge in order to develop scientific literacy and a conscious, critical and reflective citizen's education about the results (positive and negative) of scientific and technological development on society and the environment. However, for quality science education, education needs to be understood as a social practice, in which scientific knowledge is confronted, questioned and reconstructed in an emancipatory and contextualized dimension. In light of this demand, the question arises: how can the production and reading of photographic images contribute to Science, Technology and Society (STS) education? With this in mind, this research aims to study photographic records with a STS theme, with the general objective of proposing the production and reading of photographic images with a STS Education theme by postgraduate students in Science Teaching and Mathematics Education at the State University of Ponta Grossa. To this end, a photographic image reading workshop was designed as a tool for STS education. The intervention took place in the subject Science, Technology, Society and Science Teaching, with a group of 10 postgraduate students. They were challenged to produce a photograph with CTS potential, so that one of their colleagues could read the image without knowing the author. To do this, we adopted the proposal for Reading Photographic Images with a STS approach, adapted from Reading Interdisciplinary Images and Reading Interdisciplinary Images for STS. The proposal is outlined in eight steps, each with a specific analysis to be carried out. The themes with STS potential chosen by the postgraduates were varied, such as: cat abandonment; deforestation; incorrect waste disposal; incorrect disposal of medicine packaging; railroads; native trees. During the analysis, the postgraduates were able to identify the basic visual elements of the photographic image, such as: natural light, movement, colors and texture. The postgraduates described the photographic images they analyzed as controversial and polemical themes that relate to science and technology and, above all, have an impact on society. In the last step of reading and analysis, it was noted that the postgraduates searched for more information and understanding on the topic. The searches resulted in discussions about laws that protect domestic animals; biodegradable ecological products for sustainable growth; corporate profits from the marketing of water bottles; and the responsible consumption of medicines. In general terms, this research has shown that the production and reading of STS-themed photographic images can contribute to STS education.