A systematized program of continuing education for teachers from Natural Science fields is necessary due to the
fast development of knowledge in such fields and to the growing (though still insufficient) availability of up-to-date
instructional materials. In Brazil, actions by governmental bodies and agencies that subsidize researches have
stimulated the development and update of instructional materials for the teaching of Natural Sciences. At the same
time, there is a need for actions that stimulate the creative and self-directed use of instructional materials by
teachers, in accordance with a reflection made by Trivelato (2003) on continuing education courses for Science
teachers: