LA DEFINICIÓN DE PROPÓSITOS Y CONTENIDOS CURRICULARES PARA LA ENSEÑANZA DE LAS CIENCIAS NATURALES: TENDENCIAS ACTUALES Y PERSPECTIVAS.

In the last decades there have been new ideas in the scientific education fields. This discussion is complex and does not point only to changes in teaching practices. On the contrary, what is in discussion has to do with the contents and the aims of teaching the sciences of the basic education in a context that has suffered deep changes in the relationships between science, technology and society and also with new ideas about teaching, learning and the extension of compulsory education. In this investigation we present the different currents of opinion since the second half of the XX century. Secondly, we analize some new proposals to identify main tendencies regarding aims and contents of teaching science. Finally, we explore the possibilities offered by the inclusion of a historical perspective when teaching sciences and the importance of the curricular documents in this dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]