Teacher, may I ask? School visits to exhibitions on socio-scientific controversies in science museums

Abstract

School visits to science museums have been an effective action by schools around the world. Whether to provide new learning opportunities or to complement the content taught in the classroom. Such visits contribute to the students’ teaching and learning process. Within museums, exhibitions with controversial themes have gained prominence in recent years. These are shaped in order to problematize and raise reflections on questions that, sometimes, do not find space for discussion in the classroom. In this perspective, this reflective essay aims to contribute to the (re) thinking of school visits to exhibitions that address socio-scientific controversies in science museums. The reflections start from a narrative built with the purpose of providing considerations on the theme: “The origin of the Universe and Life on Earth”. The narrative in question is supported by data from academic research, which dialogue with the questions presented throughout the text.