New Perspectives in Science Education

This research is guided by Design-based research, which combines aspects of educational research with practice in real environment. The goal was to create an experimental didactic sequence using low cost materials of easy access. The team was formed by a researcher in the field of chemistry teaching, a teacher of basic education and two students of licentiate in chemistry. The first step consisted in choosing the theme and design principles. The chosen topic was solutions and the design principles were problematizing experimental activities. The second step was the design, creation of the didactic sequence composed of three classes. During the design, it was considered the physical structure and financial conditions of the school. The materials used in the practical activities were low cost and easy to access and the activities were developed in the classroom because the school does not have a laboratory. The third step was the implementation of the didactic sequence for high school students of a public school in the State of Goiás, Brazil. In the first class, we exposed some products of daily use containing different types of mixtures and students should identify if the products were formed by homogeneous or heterogeneous mixture and argue their positioning. After the arguments, the teachers helped the students to identify the phases of a mixture, the differences between homogeneous and heterogeneous mixture using the materials that were exposed. In the second class, the students produced several acerola juices with different concentrations. During this experiment, the contents of solute, solvent, concentration and dilution were discussed. In the third class, an industrialized powdered acerola juice was made and students analyzed the juice label to identify which chemical additives are present and their functions. The results of this intervention corroborate with the researches in the area of science education that point out that the pedagogical potential and the capacity to arouse interest and curiosity in an experimental activity are in the capacity of the mediator to problematize the phenomena, to instigate the students, to explore the data, make relationships and contextualize the presented contents.

Keywords: design, solutions, practical activities;

 

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