Contextualization

The seminar is a widely used practice in the educational context, as it favors the collective construction of knowledge and develops important skills in its participants. It is a dialogical presentation, where the student has the opportunity to delve into a specific topic and share their learning with their colleagues. It fosters research, argumentation, critical thinking, synthesis capacity, and respect for others' ideas.

This project aims to broaden students' understanding of the seminar format, its stages, and its role in the teaching-learning process. Understanding the characteristics of a seminar is essential not only for school but also for professional life. Working in a team, arguing in a structured way, and learning to listen to others are valued skills in any field of activity.

Relevance of the Topic

Living in society presupposes the ability to communicate, argue, negotiate, mediate conflicts, and make decisions as a group. The seminar, as a learning strategy, fosters the development of these skills while exercising critical thinking, research, and synthesis capacity.

Moreover, it is important to highlight that we live in a world surrounded by information, much of it conflicting and even false. Knowing how to highlight the main points, compare sources, verify the veracity of facts, and form a well-founded opinion are essential skills for the formation of conscious and active citizens in society.

Study Sources

Students can delve deeper into the topic through the following references:

1. How to Make a Good Seminar
2. What is a Seminar? Types of Seminars and Stages
3. How to Make a Seminar Step by Step
4. Seminar: What it is, What it is for, How to Do it

Practical Activity: "Interdisciplinary Seminars: Communication and Society"

Project Objective

To deepen students' knowledge of the seminar concept and practice. In addition, the project aims to develop skills such as teamwork, debate, critical analysis, and writing reports. This project will be multidisciplinary, involving mainly the curricular components of Portuguese and History.

Detailed Project Description

Divided into groups of 3 to 5 students, students will be challenged to prepare a seminar on a topic related to communication in society. Suggested topics include: the influence of social media on daily life, the verification of fake news, the evolution of communication throughout history, among others. It is interesting that the topic is current, brings up relevant social issues, and promotes reflection.

Necessary Materials

Students will need:

1. A computer or notebook with internet access for research and preparation of presentation materials.
2. Books, scientific articles, and other research materials.
3. Material for producing slides (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.)
4. Camera (webcam, cell phone) and microphone for seminar presentation.

Detailed Step-by-Step for Completing the Activity

1. Group Formation and Choice of Topic: From the list of topics suggested by the teacher, groups will choose a topic to research and debate in the seminar.

2. Research and Information Gathering: In this stage, students should seek diverse information on the chosen topic. Books, scientific articles, specialized websites, documentaries, and interviews are possible sources of research.

3. Seminar Preparation: Students should divide themselves into responsibilities for the seminar preparation. This includes developing the presentation script, producing slides, preparing questions for the discussion, among others.

4. Rehearsals: It is recommended that groups rehearse the seminar presentation to ensure fluency and adequate presentation time.

5. Seminar Presentation: The students will present the seminar to the class, following the script and using the prepared slides.

6. Writing the Report: After the presentation, students should write a detailed report on the project.

Project Deliverables

As specified above, students should deliver two main products from this project: the seminar presentation and the final report.

Seminar Presentation: The presentation must follow the script prepared by the students and should include the main discussion on the chosen topic. Students are expected to demonstrate mastery of the subject and promote a constructive debate with the class.

Final Report: The report should follow the structure of a scientific report, with an introduction, development, conclusions, and bibliography. In the introduction, the student should contextualize the chosen topic, pointing out its relevance and the objectives of the seminar. In the development, the student should describe the theoretical foundations of the topic, the methodology used for the research and teamwork, and present the main results and discussions of the seminar. In the conclusion, students should revisit the main points of the work, reflecting on the lessons learned and the conclusions drawn. Finally, in the bibliography, the student should list all the sources consulted during the research.