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The present study conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated a specific program, the Live Science program. This program integrated 2 distinct but complementary approaches: participants' immersion in real science contexts and the participation of future teachers in seminars intended to share the immersion experience and to reflect on nature of science (NOS). Four future teachers participated in the Live Science program in 2 real research contexts. Through an analysis of the experiences and lessons learned from this program, this study tried to understand to what extent participation in real-context scientific activities, focused on an explicit and reflective approach to NOS, can contribute to the professional development of preservice elementary teachers. Interviews, questionnaires, observations, diaries, and videotaped seminars were used for data collection. Our findings suggest that the adoption of an explicit approach through illustration and reflection on particular aspects of NOS within the context of scientific research is a promising approach considering that it potentially allows for the development of a more informed understanding of science. The results also suggest that along with personality-related factors, the inherent characteristics of real science contexts play an important role in the development of that understanding. Tightly organized research teams capable of giving ample support to preservice teachers and working in research fields in which participants' conceptions can be confronted should be selected in order to improve the impact of this type of program.

The activities presented in this paper, which are addressed to elementary school, are focused on the pioneering work of the Portuguese King Carlos I in oceanography and involve the exploration of the exhibits belonging to two different science museums, the Aquarium Vasco da Gama and the Maritime Museum. Students were asked to study fish adaptations to deep sea, through the exploration of a fictional story, based on historical data and based on the work of the King that served as a guiding script for all the subsequent tasks. In both museums, students had access to: historical collections of organisms, oceanographic biological sampling instruments, fish gears and ships. They could also observe the characteristics and adaptations of diverse fish species characteristic of deep sea. The present study aimed to analyse the impact of these activities on students' scientific knowledge, on their understanding of the nature of science and on the development of transversal skills. All students considered the project very popular. The results obtained suggest that the activity promoted not only the understanding of scientific concepts, but also stimulated the development of knowledge about science itself and the construction of scientific knowledge, stressing the relevance of creating activities informed by the history of science. As a final remark we suggest that the partnership between elementary schools and museums should be seen as an educational project, in which the teacher has to assume a key mediating role between the school and the museums.

Mobilizing scientific knowledge for understanding the natural world and for critically appraise socio-scientific situations and make decisions are key competencies for today's' society. Therefore, it is essential to understand how students at the end of compulsory schooling use scientific knowledge for understanding the surrounding world. The objective of this study is to understand how students construct a scientifically oriented explanation while making sense of a phenomenon related to health. We analysed 526 answers to a question of a Portuguese national 9th grade science exam. The results reveal that most students present difficulties in explaining a phenomenon related to health supported by logical and clear reasoning, and in mobilizing scientific knowledge for connecting different scientific domains. We reaffirm the need to reconceptualize the role of health education within science education. Developing reading, writing and discussion activities related to health, which requires the use of scientific knowledge from different domains, would facilitate students' understanding and appropriation of scientific knowledge and its transference. This is a fundamental competence for promoting active and informed citizenship.

The present study conceptualized, implemented, and evaluated a specific program, the Live Science program. This program integrated 2 distinct but complementary approaches: participants’ immersion in real science contexts and the participation of future teachers in seminars intended to share the immersion experience and to reflect on nature of science (NOS). Four future teachers participated in the Live Science program in 2 real research contexts. Through an analysis of the experiences and lessons learned from this program, this study tried to understand to what extent participation in real-context scientific activities, focused on an explicit and reflective approach to NOS, can contribute to the professional development of preservice elementary teachers. Interviews, questionnaires, observations, diaries, and videotaped seminars were used for data collection. Our findings suggest that the adoption of an explicit approach through illustration and reflection on particular aspects of NOS within the context of scientific research is a promising approach considering that it potentially allows for the development of a more informed understanding of science. The results also suggest that along with personality-related factors, the inherent characteristics of real science contexts play an important role in the development of that understanding. Tightly organized research teams capable of giving ample support to preservice teachers and working in research fields in which participants’ conceptions can be confronted should be selected in order to improve the impact of this type of program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]