The MEQ research group is an academic space for formative participation and conceptual and procedural application of natural sciences teaching, particularly, basic-, medium-, and higher-level chemistry, based on the perspective of the theory of meaningful learning. We seek to generate spaces for the construction of knowledge within the classroom based on contextualized intervention and teacher professional development processes with the intention of contributing to a high-quality, integrative, and humanistic-oriented education that allows students to develop the skills that will allow them to socially interact with today’s and tomorrow’s complex and ever-changing world.
Research Areas and Topics
Research on natural sciences and environmental education didactics, particularly, on chemistry didactics.
Editorial Council for the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, Physics Institute – UFRGS, (Porto Alegre, Brazil).
PhD in Science Teaching program, Universidad de Burgos (Spain).
Secretary of Education of Medellin, Teacher's Innovation Center, MOVA.
School of Education, Universidad de Antioquia.
Advising Editorial Commitee for the Revista Electrónica de Investigación en Educación en Ciencias (Electronic Journal of Research in Science Teaching), Faculty of Exact Sciences, UNICEN (Argentina).
Notable Projects
Community outreach project: “Strengthening of academic communities of teachers of natural sciences in and for non-certified municipalities from the Department of Antioquia.” Interadministrative agreement between Universidad de Antioquia, Secretary of Education of Antioquia, and Governor’s Office of Antioquia. (2015-2018).
Community outreach project: “Taller: La Tabla Periódica y la Vida” (Workshop: The Periodic Table and Life”). Cooperation agreement between Universidad de Antioquia, the School of Exact and Natural Sciences, the Secretary of Education of Medellin, and MOVA. (2019).
Community outreach project: “Water and water systems as a vitally-important common good.” Formation of teachers, administrative staff, teachers, and educational agents in the plan: School on knowledge dialogue, methodological reflection line, MOVA. Interadministrative Contract between Universidad de Antioquia, the School of Exact and Natural Sciences, the Secretary of Education of Medellin, and MOVA. (2020).
The following formative spaces are identified:
a. Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and professional teacher development.
b. Water systems in the school context.
c. Ecopedagogy: A pedagogy focused on water care.
Community outreach project: “Encounter of MEQ teachers.” Annual encounter with the participation of natural sciences, chemistry, and mathematics basic and medium education teachers from educational institutions from Medellin and the Department of Antioquia. Time period 2008 - 2019.
Main Research Results
- Strengthening of academic communities of natural science teachers in and for non-certified municipalities from the Department of Antioquia. Formation, by means of diploma courses, of 310 teachers and 873 in Learning Communities. From the educational process of the Diploma Course, the following texts was written: Nuevos paradigmas en la enseñanza de Biología, Física y Química como vías para leer los territorios de Antioquia (New paradigms in Biology, Physics, and Chemistry teaching as paths for understanding the Department of Antioquia’s territories). ISBN 978-958-8955-50-6.
- “Taller: La Tabla Periódica y la Vida” (Workshop: The Periodic Table and Life). Participation of 41 ademic institutions, 63 teachers, elaboration of 25 educational projects with the collaboration, in their preparation and development, of 105 teachers, 2396 students, and in the socialization as a science fair with 31.352 participating students.
- Lecture derived from the 9th Encounter of MEQ Teachers: Linguistic representations in chemistry by practicing teachers: the case of Vitamin C. 16th Conferences 15th International Congress of the Researcher Teacher. Medellin, Colombia,, 2019, October 17, 18, 19.
Research Portafolio
Formation of teachers in natural sciences and, particularly, in chemistry.
