The Relation between the Teaching of Natural Science and the Formation of the Conception of the World in light of Cultural-Historical Psychology

Abstract: This article presents results of research carried out with the purpose of investigating how the teaching of Natural Sciences can contribute to the psychic development of a conception of the world that is materialistic, historical and dialectical among students, which is denominated a conception of the world for the self. Based on aspects of Cultural Theory, a didactic experiment was created to be used in a 7th year class of a school in the state of São Paulo. The didactic experiment revealed some didactic principles that favored the promotion of students' learning of concepts as ways of developing a theoretical form of seeing, thinking and explaining world phenomena, namely collective discussions, the elaboration of a general way of acting, and the dialogue-based reading of scientific texts.