A DISCUSSION AS EDUCATIONAL APPROACH: THE WAY OF TEACHERS OF AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Although the discussion shut down potential in promoting scientific literacy skills essential for responsible citizenship, notes that this methodology is widely used in educational settings. It is therefore important to understand the factors that influence the performance of this type of activity by teachers. This study seeks to identify teachers' conceptions of a college education Portuguese against the advantages and limitations of the use of discussion as an educational approach. To this end, it was built for an online questionnaire to all their teachers. The results show that teachers value greatly discussion activities as educational methodology in the various subject areas. However, the results also reveal some negative aspects associated with the activities of discussion, namely, the difficulties in its evaluation and the high amount of time they require. This research suggests several elements that can help teachers, including the sciences, in the effective integration of activities in their discussion llective practices.