PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN SCIENCE EDUCATION: FROM TRASH TO LUSH

Abstract

This article presents and discusses the pedagogical project From Trash to Luxury, developed in a public school in the municipality of São José de Ribamar, Maranhão, grounded in the Active Methodology of Project-Based Learning (PBL). The study aims to analyze how the From Trash to Luxury project can enhance Science learning in the final years of Elementary Education through an investigative, critical, and creative approach. The theoretical framework draws on authors such as Bacich and Moran(2018), as well as Diesel, Baldez, and Martins(2017). A qualitative methodology is adopted, using PBL as a means to promote positive transformation in the school’s social and environmental context through Science teaching. The project mobilized members of the school community occupying different roles, all of whom contributed to the collective awareness surrounding environmental issues. The results indicate that PBL fosters student protagonism and supports the understanding of Science as a human, creative, and socially committed endeavor. The findings reinforce the urgency of teacher education programs that promote innovative pedagogical practices capable of generating contextualized and meaningful learning experiences.