Atividades experimentais no ensino de ciências da natureza: obstáculos, desafios e possibilidades no ensino de química

Abstract

This research considers that the Teaching of Natural Sciences is essential for understanding the reality in its permanent transformations. But the way science is taught, prioritizing memorization over other aspects, such as investigation, interdisciplinarity, contextualization and experimentation, entails a kind of disenchantment and disinterest on the part of some students, both in elementary school and in teaching average. In addition to contextualization, interdisciplinarity and investigation considered important to the teaching of natural sciences, experimental activities have occupied a prominent place. Why, despite their recognized importance, do these activities still not take place systematically and permanently in science classrooms? What are the main obstacles on this path? In this research, we aim to investigate the main challenges, obstacles and possibilities pointed out by teachers in the area of Natural Sciences for the development of investigative experimental activities in the classroom. The research had a qualitative character of the case study type and data acquisition was carried out through interviews, questionnaires and observation of thematic workshops with the realization of experimental activities involving oxidation-reduction reactions. Six professors from the area of Natural Sciences (Chemistry, Physics and Biology) and 47 students from the 2nd grade of high school, from a public school in the city of Areial-PB, participated in the research. The theoretical basis was built mainly from the ideas of Freire (2013), Libâneo (2013), Carvalho (2019), Delizoicov, Angotti and Pernambuco (2018), Alves Filho (2000), Gaspar (2014), Jesus (2013) , Moran (2018), Silva and Marcondes (2010), Marcondes (2008), Marcondes et al. (2007), Araújo and Abib (2003), Trivelato and Silva (2011), Oliveira (2010), Santos and Menezes (2020), Souza et al. (2013), Suart and Marcondes (2009), Andrade and Massabni (2011), Chalmers (1993), Zômpero and Laburú, (2011), Dewey (1976), Onrubia (2009), Sasseron (2015), Lima (2012) the National Curriculum Parameters (BRASIL, 2000), the Curriculum Guidelines for Secondary Education (BRASIL, 2013), and the Common National Curriculum Base (BRASIL, 2018). The results point to challenges faced by teachers in the area of Natural Sciences for the inclusion of investigative experimental activities in the classes of subjects in this area of knowledge, such as the lack of physical structure in some schools, the lack of material resources, such as glassware, reagents and mainly personal protection materials, the availability of time to plan these activities, the lack of curriculum organization and the lack of some students to relate the theory studied in the classroom with daily practice, often associating science teaching only with calculations mathematicians. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the main challenges, obstacles and, above all, the possibilities that emerge from the construction of a didactic proposal to be shared with other teachers interested in teaching Science.