Citologia: uma proposta formativa na EaD - UFRN a partir de concepções alternativas

Learning difficulties can have a direct influence on the teaching-learning process of students by reducing their school performance. One factor that may contribute to this negative influence on learning refers to the presence of alternative conceptions, which may have different origins in the educational process. It is of paramount importance, for teachers, for example, to identify the concepts and the difficulties of their students in order for that knowledge can be able to contribute significantly to improve the teaching and learning process. From the following considerations, the present study (still in progress) aims to investigate aspects related to the concepts and difficulties of graduating students in relation to the contents of Biology. The participants of the research were undergraduate students in Biological Sciences from UFRN, studying by Distance Learning (Educação a Distância). To develop the survey, questionnaires were developed to identify the contents in Biology that these students have more difficulties as well as an interview to raise misconceptions regarding the content of cytology. Another tool developed was a textbook evaluation form, which was applied in conjunction with a questionnaire in workshops (short courses) in order to identify possible errors and mistakes that could jeopardize the process of teaching and learning, such as the importance that these learners assign to textbooks in the educational process. From the data collected, a booklet on the content of cytology was developed as a product. It is expected that it can be applied in classrooms in order to improve the teaching and learning in references to Biology, to minimize, for example, alternative conceptions than can occur related to the theme

A fotossíntese vegetal no 3º ano do Ensino médio: concepções alternativas, erros conceituais e uma proposta de unidade didática baseada no Desenvolvimento Sustentável.

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Concepções de licenciandas em pedagogia sobre o ensino de ciências nos ciclos I e II da educação básica

O conteúdo de ciências no Ensino Fundamental dos ciclos I e II é ministrado por um professor polivalente com formação em Pedagogia. Sua formação deve possibilitar uma visão global do fenômeno educativo, o que implica a construção de conhecimentos múltiplos e contextualizados, porém com pouco aprofundamento. Este trabalho objetiva identificar as opiniões e dificuldades de licenciandos de Pedagogia a respeito dos conteúdos de Ciências nos dois primeiros ciclos do Ensino Fundamental, mediado por dois questionamentos: Com relação aos conteúdos de ciências ministrados no I e II ciclos, você os considera fácil ou difícil? Sendo solicitado que justificasse sua resposta; De acordo com seus conhecimentos sobre ciências, cite as principais dificuldades que você teria (tem/teve) em ensinar ciências nos ciclos I e II. Participaram do estudo 29 licenciandas da turma de Ensino das Ciências Naturais II do Curso de Pedagogia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Com relação ao questionamento referente à consideração dos conteúdos de ciências, 52% das licenciandas consideraram fácil, 31% difícil e 17% não responderam a questão. Foram identificadas três categorias de respostas: processo de elaboração do planejamento (20,5% fácil e 20,5% difícil), nível de conhecimento dos alunos (7% fácil e 0% difícil) e natureza dos conteúdos abordados (14% fácil e 10,5% difícil). Foram classificadas três categorias distintas em relação às dificuldades em ensinar ciências: natureza dos conteúdos abordados (50%), aspectos metodológicos (25%), e conhecimento básico (25%). A análise dos resultados revelou que a principal dificuldade das licenciandas em Pedagogia quanto à aplicabilidade do ensino de ciências nos primeiros ciclos do Ensino Fundamental esta diretamente relacionada à falta de conhecimento básico destes conteúdos, que somente foram estudados por elas no Ensino Básico, indicando a necessidade de incorporação de abordagens de conteúdos de ciências no currículo do curso de Pedagogia.

Uma proposta de ensino para o nível fundamental a partir das concepções sobre insetos

O presente trabalho consiste em uma investigação acerca das concepções de estudantes sobre o que é um inseto. Partiu-se do pressuposto de que os alunos expressam concepções errôneas no momento de identificar os representantes do táxon Insecta e que isso é consequência das experiências do cotidiano e de erros conceituais oriundos da formação escolar incorreta. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram investigar sobre concepções alternativas acerca dos insetos com alunos do ensino fundamental II e propor situações para promoção de uma aprendizagem mais ativa. Os dados para analise foram coletados em três turmas de escolas diferentes: uma escola em Nova Parnamirim, da rede privada, e duas da rede pública municipal de ensino: uma do município de Natal/RN e a outra do município de Parnamirim/RN. Utilizou-se como instrumento um questionário aplicado em duas fases. Na primeira etapa foram feitas três questões abertas e duas fechadas. Na segunda, aplicaram-se mais três questões. Nesta oportunidade foram apresentados aos alunos uma lista com imagens de insetos e animais considerados não insetos. Os resultados dos questionários mostraram que os alunos apresentaram na sua maioria, 62%, sentimentos negativos sobre os insetos, expressos por palavras depreciativas, entre elas: nojentos, feios, asquerosos, perigosos, sendo estes mais da metade dos alunos da amostra. Sentimentos positivos representaram 20%: fazem bem ao homem, Deus criou, são bons, são bonitos, e 18% apresentaram neutralidade nessas categorias. Outro resultado apresentado foi que 82% generalizaram os animais artrópodes como sendo insetos. Como forma de resolver problemas relacionados as concepções uma unidade didática foi aplicada em uma das escolas envolvidas na pesquisa, validando assim um instrumento pedagógico que incluiu atividade lúdica constituída de um jogo de tabuleiro proporcionador de uma vivência de aprendizagem focada em conceitos científicos sobre os insetos fáceis de serem apreendidos

Concepções de licenciandas em pedagogia sobre o ensino de ciências nos ciclos I e II da educação básica

O conteúdo de ciências no Ensino Fundamental dos ciclos I e II é ministrado por um professor polivalente com formação em Pedagogia. Sua formação deve possibilitar uma visão global do fenômeno educativo, o que implica a construção de conhecimentos múltiplos e contextualizados, porém com pouco aprofundamento. Este trabalho objetiva identificar as opiniões e dificuldades de licenciandos de Pedagogia a respeito dos conteúdos de Ciências nos dois primeiros ciclos do Ensino Fundamental, mediado por dois questionamentos: Com relação aos conteúdos de ciências ministrados no I e II ciclos, você os considera fácil ou difícil? Sendo solicitado que justificasse sua resposta; De acordo com seus conhecimentos sobre ciências, cite as principais dificuldades que você teria (tem/teve) em ensinar ciências nos ciclos I e II. Participaram do estudo 29 licenciandas da turma de Ensino das Ciências Naturais II do Curso de Pedagogia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte. Com relação ao questionamento referente à consideração dos conteúdos de ciências, 52% das licenciandas consideraram fácil, 31% difícil e 17% não responderam a questão. Foram identificadas três categorias de respostas: processo de elaboração do planejamento (20,5% fácil e 20,5% difícil), nível de conhecimento dos alunos (7% fácil e 0% difícil) e natureza dos conteúdos abordados (14% fácil e 10,5% difícil). Foram classificadas três categorias distintas em relação às dificuldades em ensinar ciências: natureza dos conteúdos abordados (50%), aspectos metodológicos (25%), e conhecimento básico (25%). A análise dos resultados revelou que a principal dificuldade das licenciandas em Pedagogia quanto à aplicabilidade do ensino de ciências nos primeiros ciclos do Ensino Fundamental esta diretamente relacionada à falta de conhecimento básico destes conteúdos, que somente foram estudados por elas no Ensino Básico, indicando a necessidade de incorporação de abordagens de conteúdos de ciências no currículo do curso de Pedagogia.

Dificuldades na aprendizagem dos conteúdos de Biologia: evidências a partir das Provas de Múltipla Escolha do Vestibular da UFRN (2001-2008)

Los estudios cerca de las dificultades en el aprendizaje del contenido de la biología han sido foco de la investigación diversa que si ten corido a partir de la década de setenta del siglo pasado, en consecuencia al movimiento de las concepciones alternativas (MCA). El estudio que se presenta, se atan con el Departamento de Educação da UFRN - Base de Pesquisa Formação e Profissionalização Docente, como parte do projeto de pesquisa - A passagem do Ensino Médio a UFRN: estudos sobre o acesso, a permanência e a qualidade do Ensino Médio. Los objetivos de esto investigación, habían consistido en el identificar del contenido explorado en las cuestiones de las Pruebas de la opción múltiple del Vestibular de UFRN para el cual los candidatos habían demostrado dificultad en el aprendizaje; para analizar si el contextualização de la pregunta y la presencia de elementos no-literales que habían influenciado en el aumento de la dificultad de la pregunta e identificar los errores más frecuentemente por los candidatos en estas pruebas. La tesis si configura en dos dimensiones: 1 - El contenido explorado en las Pruebas del Vestibular de la UFRN si distribuya uniformemente a través de los años; sendo priorizados procedimentos que exigem demanda cognitiva diversificadas na solução de problemas; 2- Nessas provas, os resultados dos candidatos, en relación con el Índice de Aproveitamento, indican la existencia de áreas en las quales hay déficit del aprendizaje; qué envolucran las dificultades en aprender el contenido. Los datos de la investigación habían sido recogidos al partir de las pruebas de la biología y de la inicial abstracta selectiva de los informes proveído para el COMPERVE/UFRN, del último los ocho años (2001-2008). En la dirección alcanzar a los objetivos considerados para este estudio, contenta había sido construido a las categorías del análisis - (temas, subtemas y procedimientos); índice de aproveitamento; contextualização de la pregunta; estructura de la pregunta y el error. Los resultados, qué si configurán de los análisis de las ocho pruebas del vestibular de la UFRN y los sesenta y cientos envolvement mil, seiscientos y sesenta y cinco candidatos que le habían contestado; demuestran eso: los temas y los subtemas de la biología para los cuales las dificultades en aprender si está tenido divulgado sea - genética (hibridismo; fenótipo y genotipo; Leyes de Mendel), biotecnología (transgênicos; célula-tronco) y citología (química de la vida; división celular; membranas) y los procedimientos - identificar, analizar la situación y aplicar concepto, para correlacionar y para interpretar el gráfico; los quais não exigem uma alta demanda cognitiva na solução dos problemas. La presencía de situações contextualizadas e de gráficos en las questiones de las pruebas influenciou en el aumento dos niveles dificuldade da of questão para a maioria dos candidatos, reiterando as of dificuldades of observadas na of aprendizagem dos procedimentos. Los errores principales cometidos para los candidatos habían consistido en no reconocimiento del estándar de la herencia del gênica - mendelian y después de-Mendel; no del reconocimiento de los acontecimientos de la división celular y de las técnicas en biotecnología. Éstos habían reflejado las dificultades en aprender del contenido para algún contenido y en otros sugieren que tuviera la expresión de los conceptos alternativos que los estudiantes construyen en los conceptos. Los resultados señalan la necesidad de una revisión de las preguntas inherentes didácticas-metodológicas a la educación del contenido para las cuales las dificultades en aprender si hay tenido presentado

Literatura de monteiro lobato no ensino de ciências

Advocating education as a humanizing task, the humanizing function of literature and the importance of scientific education, this paper proposes linking Science and Literature in Science Teaching using two specific books of Monteiro Lobato in the final series of elementary school level. Adopting the action research methodology, an interdisciplinary approach, we used the books A Reforma da Natureza and Serões de Dona Benta in two classes (8th and 9th) at Escola Estadual Professor José Mamede, located in the town of Tibau do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte. The readings were performed in Portuguese Language s course and the scientific content were discussed in Science´s classrooms. The book A Reforma da Natureza permitted to approach issues related to the environment, while the use of Serões de Dona Benta showed particularly its effectiveness in questioning the concepts of matter, mass, weight and some questions about the Nature of Science (NOS). In general, the analysis of results shows that the readings of these two books permitted interaction and dialogicity in the classroom, as well as indicates the potential of these books in contextualing and questioning the scientific content contained in it. We advise, however, the need for the science teacher be aware of the conceptual mistakes present in literary works, avoiding erroneous learning and reinforcement of alternative conceptions

Formação continuada de professores de ciências para o ensino de astronomia nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Situated at the intersection of Continuing Formation, Science Teaching and content of astronomy, the research aims to discuss this problematic : What are the challenges encountered in a continuous formation in service of science teachers of the early years of elementary school with contents of astronomy? Aiming to answer this question, we carried out a collaborative action research in a school of Natal / RN, with 6 teachers who teach or lectured Natural Sciences in the early years of elementary school. The study involved 14 encounters of continuos formation in service, to enable a better understanding criticism and propositive concerning the teaching science, especially some content of astronomy for the initial years, through a shared discussion. To this end, we consider that more profound understanding of astronomical knowledge allows the establishment of relationships and connections between theoretical knowledge and the daily teaching practice. All discussions were recorded on audio and transcripts. This research was realized using questionnaires and diary, however, the audio recording was its principal working instrument. About the data collected, several issues emerged as the little field of conceptual content, several misconceptions among teachers about the content of astronomy, lack of adequate space in the school environment to study and the need for collective reflection on the practice. Finally, is indicated that the contents of astronomy should be used in classrooms of Sciences, provided that teaching plan of action consider the existence of diverse alternative conceptions about the subject, among both teachers and students, and the need of permanente continuing education in the teaching

Elaboração e aplicação de uma estratégia de ensino sobre os conceitos de calor e de temperatura

This piece of work has investigated the alternative conceptions shown by students of secondary school, concerned to the concepts of warmth and temperature, aiming the elaboration and application of a learning strategy as of the diagnose risen from the conceptions present in students. The learning strategy was built up by a sequence of activities that involve History of Science and experiments, put in a course that had as a base the proposal of the Group of Redevelopment of Physics Teaching (GREF). We have used as the conductor wire of our research the development of thermo dynamics since the development of the first thermo machines, passing by the Industrial Revolution and the evolution of concepts of warmth and temperature. The learning strategy was applied to a group of second grade of secondary school in a public school in Mossoró (RN). By doing these activities we tried to become the concepts, which are part of thermo dynamics, more meaningful to the students. We have estimated that the application of the strategy has represented some profits to the students of the group, concerning to learning of laws and concepts of thermo dynamics (specifically the concepts of warmth and temperature), as well as what it is referred to the overcoming of its initial conceptions

Questões objetivas sobre funções das provas de matemática do vestibular da UFRN dos anos de (2001 a 2008): um diagnóstico sobre os erros que os candidatos cometem

La dificultad que los alumnos encuentran en el aprendizaje de matemática viene siendo objeto de investigación por estudiosos en educación matemática, tanto en Brasil como en el exterior. El objetivo de este estudio consiste em investigar las dificuldades en el aprendizado sobre funciones matemáticas y la influencia de las concepciones alternativas a partir de los errores que los candidatos acerca de las cuestiones sobre funciones en la prueba objetiva de matemática del acceso a la universidad de los años de 2001 a 2008. Teniendo como cuestiones de estudio para alcanzar el objetivo propuesto: identificar la relevancia del tema funciones que son contemplados en las pruebas de acceso a la Universidad; asi como cuáles han sido los tipos de funciones más privilegiados y menos privilegiados; analizar si la contextualización de la pregunta y la presencia de elementos no textuales han influenciado en el aumento de tal dificultad; analizar si la representación semiótica agrega mayor exigencia a la pregunta; analizar respecto a la exigencia matemática de la pregunta; analizar lo que se refiere al desempeño de los candidatos para verificar cuál pregunta tuvo mejor desempeño y cuál el peor e identificar los errores más frecuentemente cometidos por los candidatos en esas pruebas. Las reflexiones de los estudiosos como: Radatz (1980), Cury (1994), Socas (1997), Borasi (1997), Franchi e Rincón (2004), Pochulu (2004) presentan las dificultades en el aprendizaje matemático, que aparecen a partir de los errores cometidos por los alumnos, quando estos errores reciben la influencia de las concepciones alternativas. El estudio que se presenta en esta disertación configura un análisis de los errores que los candidatos han cometido en las preguntas objetivas sobre el tema funciones de las pruebas de acceso a la Universidad de los años de 2001 a 2008, a partir de los relatorios de la Comissão Permanente do Vestibular COMPERVE/UFRN. Con la intención de alcanzar los objetivos propuestos para este estudio, fueran sido construidas categorías de análisis. Los resultados encontrados han sido: El tema funciones es el más frecuente entre los demás con (28,1%); el tipo de función priorizada durante esos años ha sido la función logarítmica con (24%); la contextualización de las preguntas exige una mayor comprensión por parte del candidato de lo que las situaciones directas; la caracterización semiótica posee elementos que estructuran esas preguntas que el educando debe saber asociar al texto; la exigencia matemática posibilitó analizar que el procedimiento medio ha sido el más requisitado; el desempeño de los candidatos ha sido en la mayoría bajo (50%); y los principales errores que ellos han cometido han sido de realizar traducciones incorrectas de las expresiones que aparecen en las situaciones-problema; utilizar todos los datos que aparezcan en el problema sin tomar en cuenta si el cálculo realizado responde a la pregunta solicitada; no interpretar coherentemente las informaciones del gráfico; decodificar incorrectamente los valores representados por literales en una recta numérica. Los resultados señalizan la necesidad de una revisión didáctico-metodológicas de la enseñanza de funciones a raíz de las cuales las dificultades en el aprendizaje se han presentado

Uma abordagem histórica para o ensino do princípio da inércia

Placed in the field of Didactic of Science, this paper proposes an approach to the introduction of the History of Science in science education, at high school level. It was designed and implemented a series of activities regarding the history of the Principle of Inertia. The aim of this approach was to give more meaning to scientific education, while opening new avenues for a better understanding of the processes of construction of scientific knowledge. The preparation of the activities involved a study of the historical development of the concept of motion, from the Aristotelian physics through physical movement concepts at medieval period, from Galileo, Gassendi, Descartes, until the first law of Newton. The strategy of teaching was applied to three classes of high school (night period) of a state public school at the city of Natal (RN). The results indicated the difficulty of overcoming alternative conceptions about movement by students. Nevertheless, we consider that the implementation of this strategy of teaching both represented gains for the learning of students, and contributed to the resizing of pedagogical practices of the teacher-researcher

Controvérsias sobre a natureza da luz: uma aplicação didática

Researches in the field of Science Teaching have shown, in recent decades, that students from high school level have difficulties in understanding basic concepts of science, in general, and physics, in particular. The specific literature indicates, as a priority for a scientific education of better quality, a more structured understanding about science. This work proposes the introduction of elements of History and Philosophy of Science in high school as an aid to learning the concepts of optics, in general, and of aspects concerning the nature of science, specifically. Making use of historical episodes regarding the controversy on the nature of light, especially during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, as well as clippings of the history of optics in relation to the development of models that explain the process of vision, we formulated a teaching unit and implemented it on two night high school classes of a public school in the city of Parnamirim (RN). The unit involved, primarily, the reading of three historical texts containing written questions followed by a collective debate ("moot"). The results indicated some difficulties in overcoming the misconceptions related to the process of vision and the nature of light. Nevertheless, we believe that the teaching unit has succeeded in relation to the learning of most students, both in relation to a better understanding of science as well as concepts of optics

Um hipermídia sobre fases da lua para o ensino de astronomia a distância

The interdisciplinary nature of Astronomy makes it a field of great potential to explore various scientific concepts. However, studies show a great lack of understanding of fundamental subjects, including models that explain phenomena that mark everyday life, like the phases of the moon. Particularly in the context of distance education, learning of such models can be favored by the use of technologies of information and communication. Among other possibilities, we highlight the importance of digital materials that motivate and expand the forms of representation available about phenomena and models. It is also important, however, that these materials promote the explicitation of student's conceptions, as well as interaction with the most central aspects of the astronomical model for the phenomenon. In this dissertation we present a hypermedia module aimed at learning about the phases of the moon, drawn from an investigation on the difficulties with the subject during an Astronomy course for teaching training at undergraduate level at UFRN. The tests of three semesters of course were analyzed, taking into account also the alternative conceptions reported in the literature in astronomy education. The product makes use of small texts, questions, images and interactive animations. Emphasizes questions about the illumination of the Moon and other bodies, and their relationship to the sun, the perception from different angles of objects illuminated by a single source, the cause of the alternation between day and night, the identification of Moon's orbit around the Earth and the occurrence of the phases as a result of the position of observing it, and the perception of time involved in the phenomenon. The module incorporated considerations obtained from interviews with students in two poles where its given presential support for students of the course, and subjects from different pedagogical contexts. The final form of the material was used in a real situation of learning, as supplementary material for the final test of the discipline. The material was analyzed by 7 students and 4 tutors, among 56 users, in the period in question. Most students considered that the so called "Lunar Module" made a difference in their learning, the animations were considered the most prominent aspect, the images were indicated as stimulating and enlightening, and the text informative and enjoyable. The analysis of learning of these students, observing their responses to issues raised at the last evaluation, suggested gains in key aspects relating to the understanding of the phases, but also indicates more persistent difficulties. The work leads us to conclude that it is important to seek contributions for the training of science teachers making use of new technologies, with attention to the treatment of computer as a complementary resource. The interviews that preceded the use of the module, and the way student has sought the module if with questions and/or previous conflicts - established great difference in the effective contribution of the material, indicating that it should be used with the mediation of teacher or tutor, or via strategies that cause interactions between students. It is desirable that these interactions are associated with the recovery of memories of the subjects about previous observations and models, as well as the stimulus to new observations of phenomena

Dificuldades de aprendizagem sobre conceitos de genética no ensino fundamental

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Protozoários de vida livre em ambientes aquáticos do RN: ocorrência, caracterização e importância para a educação básica

Water is considered an essential right to life, besides being a determinant of economic development and social welfare, represented by both the quantity available, and the quality. In semi-arid Northeast, droughts occurring on a regular basis combined with human activities, aggravate the situation regarding the conservation of water resources in this area. To alleviate this condition is common to construction of artificial reservoirs, such as reservoirs and dams. As in natural aquatic environments, these reservoirs are potential sites for the proliferation, growth and development of diverse biological communities, whether of animals, plants and microorganisms. Research on the composition and ecology of these communities, especially microbial, are still restricted. One of the least studied groups in these environments are free-living protozoa, which over time have been neglected and after discoveries about its various functions in the aquatic ecosystem are beginning to receive more attention from scholars. They are, in quantitative terms, the most important consumers of microorganisms (mainly bacteria and algae) in aquatic environments, and therefore control the abundance of these. They may therefore influence the structure of the aquatic food chain in terms of species composition, abundance, biomass and biodiversity. Despite the recognition of the importance of protozoa in the final of the trophic transfer in aquatic environments, there are few data and, in general, are still precarious knowledge of them. Given the importance of protozoa in aquatic environments and the paucity of research on this group, especially in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the present study aimed at identifying the genus and species of free-living protozoa that are present in the Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves Dam as well as to relate the occurrence and dynamics of the trophic conditions in the environment in which they are inserted, in order to support the hypothesis that species that are in these environments can serve to indicate the water quality. We observed the presence of 65 taxa of free-living protozoa, of which 29 were identified at the species level. There was a similarity space in taxonomic composition of protozoa, suggesting a possible regulation of this type of community for limnological variables other than those studied in this work (chlorophyll a, pH, temperature). Although it was aimed to analyze the conceptions of teachers and students from nearby towns Dam Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, on issues relating to water quality and the role of protozoa. For this, we applied questionnaires with teachers and pupils of public schools of San Rafael and Itajá. It was concluded that teachers and students recognize the multi-dam Armando Ribeiro Gonçalves, although unaware of important aspects of the dynamics and ecology of this environment. Conceptions of teachers and students are matched at various times, especially with regard to waterborne diseases. In an attempt to identify possible misconceptions about the knowledge of the protozoa, assuming that these organisms have neglected their ecological role, and are seen as only, disease, a study was done with teachers and students, following a particular methodology that allowed look so clear and precise results. It was clear that knowledge about the free-living protozoa is still quite limited. The alternative conceptions that were found show a direct relation of protozoans and diseases. From the data obtained by these studies, we planned a series of science communication activities, environmental education and health education in schools close to study environments in order to promote a didactic transposition of accumulated knowledge about these organisms, favoring continuing education of teachers and the increase of information to the local community through the knowledge of biodiversity and ecology of these organisms. Moreover, the results found in this study and reflections on it that led to propose the elaboration of a book Readers with an emphasis on the group of freeliving protozoa in the populations for use in public schools in the region where it was developed the semiarid work