A mobilização do modelo AIR no ensino do conceito de calor: tensões e potencialidades sob a ótica do professor-pesquisador

Abstract

Despite the broad consensus regarding the importance of Scientific Literacy, there is still a lack of guidance on how to operationalize and monitor it in initial teacher education. In light of this gap, this study investigated the implementation of the AIR Model (Aims, Ideals, Reliable Processes) in the planning, enactment, and reflection stages of a Teaching and Learning Sequence (TLS) on the evolution of the concepts of Heat. A qualitative approach was adopted, characterized as research on one’s own practice, and conducted with a first-semester Physics Teacher Education class. The objective was to analyze the tensions, challenges, and potentialities associated with mobilizing this framework to foster epistemic development in the classroom from the perspective of the teacher-researcher. The empirical findings diverged from the expectation of ideal engagement, revealing strong student resistance grounded in an Epistemology of Authority. Significant tensions were identified in the negotiation of the didactic contract, as well as barriers to the transition toward inquiry-based teaching. Nevertheless, the analysis of the Reflective Journals demonstrated that the AIR Model transcends its original function as a student assessment framework. Within the context of teacher education, the findings suggest that the framework serves as a powerful metacognitive support, promoting the epistemic emancipation of the teacher-researcher from the inertia of transmissive teaching practices and strengthening their professional identity as a mediator of school scientific culture.