Citizen science co-constructed educational practices: a teacher training course

This paper presents the design of citizen science learning materials, emphasising the co-construction of knowledge. Using a design-based research methodology, we aimed to develop citizen science strategies that foster students' participatory citizenship. The study involved a teacher co-creation training course supported by a smart educational community and a network of community stakeholders, before and during the COVID-19 lockdown, in a secondary school of Aveiro, Portugal. A detailed description of the training course and its implementation is provided. Data collected by two surveys and a teacher self-awareness reflection is presented and discussed. During the study students did data gathering tasks, overcoming the formal/informal divide in learning, using participatory citizenship strategies, and learning guidelines. The study demonstrated the effectiveness of the co-construction process in developing citizen science learning materials, fostering citizenship engagement and collective awareness, creating a range of learning opportunities for students connected to their local context and promoting active citizenship.