Objetivos e conteúdos no ensino de física para adultos: um estudo de caso

The dissertation presents the learning, production and results of a study with a group of adult students of a high school level class in a night time public school at the Zona Oeste district of Natal-RN. As a teacher of Physics of these adult students, whose age is between 17 and 65 years, we felt the need to deepen our knowledge about the specifics of these students and build ways of teaching which would lead to a more significant educational process beside them. Among these ways of teaching, we emphasize, first, the performance of an extra-class activity that triggered the students' oral narratives about their life stories. Such narratives have led us to prioritize, as goals of teaching: socialization and the rescue of the search for a permanent learning, self-esteem and skills development to promote the exercise of autonomy. The students' previous contacts with the country life showed to be extremely significant for their memories and motives, suggesting the theme "Nature" to be adopted as a matrix for generative themes to be adopted during the teaching and learning moments with them. Considering these results, we construct a teaching proposal for continued work with the class, with which we chose the "Climate" as a guiding theme of this proposal, here presented and analyzed. In addition to a movement between problematizations developed in a thematic framework - through the initial questions of the students -, and those in a more conceptual approach - that we induced -, we have adopted as central methodological aspect the use of oral and written language, both as an exercise of dialogue, Freire's perspective, such as a structural element of cognitive processes, the perspectives of Vygotsky and Bakhtin. The development of the proposal was registered by audio and teacher and students´ regular written records, for 1 month and a half. As positive outcomes of the proposal, we emphasize the changing attitudes of students, showing a significant increase of their initiative in participating of the classes, besides a creative and critical use of arguments during the situations studied

A estratégia didática de resolução de problemas na formação de professores de química

In this work it is presented a research developed in the initial training of teachers of the chemistry graduation course at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). The intervention was realized in two classes in the context of a discipline in the curricular structure with nineteen undergraduate students of chemistry. The study utilizes characteristics of the qualitative approach and uses observation, questionnaires, interviews and examination papers. The experiment involved a sequence of activities fundamented on the Problem Solving (PS) teaching strategy to approach chemical concepts. The proposal was planned and organized according to the theoretical presupposition of the work developed by the authors of the Science Education in PS, of teaching experience and from the initial hypotheses of the research. The goal was that the future teachers could experience the strategy and advance to the new meanings. The themes addressed in the activities were the difference between exercises and problems, exercises turning into problems, the steps of problem solving and some implications of the teaching strategy for the work of the teacher. The results showed evidence that through a process of collective reflection, and from the difficulties experienced in the strategy practice, the undergraduates are introduced to new perspectives of reflection and action of teaching practice, and understanding some benefits of innovative proposals for the teaching of chemistry. It also showed that, although this theme is approached, in some moments of the graduation, the future teachers don‟t know when or how to realize activities in this perspective. From the aspects that rose in research we highlighted the difficulties in the problem solving steps, the use of the strategy in school and the knowledge and skills of the teacher for planning activities in Problem Solving

Educação científica no contexto pós-ontológico: por uma concepção plural de conhecimento e educação

The development of this work arises from the research of sociological and philosophical characters contemplating also other approaches which aims to answer the followingquestions: what is the responsibility of science teaching for the image one has about science? ; which scientific education should be designed for nowadays? . After considering the assumptions brought along by rationalism and the criticisms to the illuminist model proposed by sociology and philosophy of science, as well by the biology of the knowing process, going through discussions concerning post-modernity issues, one is given to understand that the image of science has become the central point of discussion in the last hundred years, including what concerns the area of science teaching, and that practically none of those discussions really reached natural science classes indeed. We adopt the term postontological to characterize the recent proposals on philosophy and sociology, because we evaluate that this term allows a better identification of the scientific realism crisis, which supports the existence of an ontological domain which science, and only science, is able to understand. One notices that the general public is not aware of those discussions, mainly if they are science teachers and students. So we believe that discussing the logic in which science is structured, the new understandings concerning the scientific undertaking, especially those of an externalist character, and the relationship between science and society, all of this contributes to build up a science teaching which contemplates a reflective contribution, besides allowing the inclusion of the study of other epistemologies in the educational practice. We argue that a revisionist posture seems to be the most appropriate for the contemporary scientific education, contemplating, besides the teaching of the usual science contents, discussions on the issues involving that knowledge, as well as respecting epistemologies alternative to the modern Western scientific one, in order one can work on the perception of local knowledge generated from other epistemological bases. We describe here practical activities we did involving teachers (short-term courses) and high-school students in an inland school in the Rio Grande do Norte state, in Brazil, as a way to demonstrate the possibility of interventions which can take those conceptions, discussions and changes to the classroom

Atribuição de significado ao conceito de proporcionalidade: contribuições da história da matemática

This study is the result of a work which approaches the Mathematics History how source of the meaning s attribution in the proportionality concept. We adopt the methodology of the source qualitative and we work with a group of teachers from instruction s public system of the fundamental and medium level from Pocinhos City Paraíba. For the data collection, we use the field notes, the questionnaire, a sequence of activities and the interview semistructured like instruments. The study had how objective to know the significates attributeds to proportionality concept through of the activity mediate from Mathematics History, besides to investigate if a approach of the nature enables modification according to this sense. The results obtaineds though the data analysis indicate that the activities bring contributions which refer to achieve objectives. On the other hand they also showed that we have a long trajectory to be trailed in the meaning of to turn the Mathematics History a subsidy effective in the teachers practice, in view of the formation absence in the knowledge area, besides the necessity of the approach adequated of the Mathematics History in the didatics books of Mathematic

Trajetória do ifrn em inclusão escolar

Discussions over the topic of inclusion of handicapped people at school are considered recent, but they have become more and more frequent within the national and international scenario. Such discussion has also being inserted in the speeches and actions of the school institution and with the formation of educators. This investigation is made necessary as a way to collect elements to reconsider the actions for the inclusion of the special education need youth. In special the visually handicapped ones, at Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte (IFRN). The creation of a support unit functions as main vehicle for the actions of the institution. It is intended to know what young people with limitations have to say regarding their experiences as a way to signal paths to be and not to be followed by the support unit. Therefore, the experience which these young boys and girls have is of crucial importance. In order to accomplish the task, it was decided to use methodological elements based upon elements supported by the life reports of two deficient students here called Borges and Stéfano. Their reports are from childhood to their arrival at IFRN. From their reports, categories appeared: childhood and the role of family; school life and, finally, related to the actions of the support unit of IFRN, being divided in inclusive actions and obstacles. The first one takes a second look at the actions of the family within the learning-teaching process of these students. The second category presents the moment in which students started to receive formal education per se. The last category constitutes the cornerstone of the investigation, for it analyses the process of inclusion in the institution, according to the perception of the students with visual limitations. The results signaled the need for shared intervention between students with Special Education Needs and school professionals in the elaboration of the Educational Planning, which guarantees the defense of the rights to an efficient teaching practice and effective in the process of inclusion of these students

Despertando responsabilidade social no ensino médio por meio de temáticas associadas à física nuclear

Many discussions about the role of the school are on the agenda, in an increasingly complex society. Sociologists, educators, anthropologists, researchers of different areas seek that role. The objective of this dissertation is to contribute what we can consider the central role for the physics teaching, citizenship training. We have elaborated a didactic proposal to increase the interest of high school students on issues of social relevance and, throughout it, to promote the formation of attitudes of social responsibility, enhancing the formation of a more politically and socially active citizen. For the preparation of the proposal, studies were made on education for citizenship and on attitudes change, using as its main theoretical foundation the researches on the Science, Technology and Society curricular emphasis. The teaching of Nuclear Physics was integrated to our proposal, due to its pedagogical potential for the discussion of social, political and economic subjects related to scientific concepts and associated technologies. The educational proposal we have produced was applied on a high school class of a private school at Natal-RN. It was composed from the controversial issue involving the installation of nuclear power plants in Brazilian northeast. The methodology of role playing, in which students assumed social roles and produced specific subsidies for a public hearing and a later referendum, both simulated. In the analysis of the implementation of the proposal, we highlighted the difficulties but also the possibilities and the relevance of exercising skills such as reasoning, finding information, and arguing about of social problems. The results of the research showed the possibility of meaningful learning on Nuclear Physics contents, through this social, political, economic, scientific and technological contextualization using a controversial and real issue together with mechanisms that trigger for greater popular participation, as public hearing. It has also been identified changes in attitude by some students about issues related to Nuclear Physics. We hope, through this dissertation, to contribute to the formation of future citizens as well as to the initiative of teachers-researchers with pedagogical aims similar to those in the present work

Um estudo sobre o ensino-aprendizagem das demonstrações matemáticas

Demonstrations are fundamental instruments for Mathematics and, as such, are frequently used by mathematicians, math teachers and students. In fact, demonstrations are part of every Mathematics teaching environment, because Mathematics considers something true when it can be demonstrated. This is in contrast to other fields of knowledge that employ observation and experimentation to validate truth. This dissertation presents a study of the teaching and learning of demonstrations in Mathematics, describing a Teaching Module applied in a course on the Theory of Numbers offered by the Mathematics Department of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte for mathematics majors. The objective of the dissertation was to propose and test a Teaching Module that can serve as a model for teaching demonstrations. The Teaching Module consisted of the following five steps: the application of a survey to determine the students‟ profiles and their previous knowledge of mathematical language and techniques of demonstration; the analysis of a series of dialogues containing arguments in everyday language; the investigation and analysis of the structure of some important techniques of demonstration; a written assessment; and, finally, an interview to further verify the principal results of the Teaching Module. The analysis of the data obtained though the classroom activities, written assessments and interviews led to the conclusion that there was a significant amount of assimilation of the issue at the level of relational understanding, (SKEMP, 1980). These instruments verified that the students attained considerable improvement in their use of mathematical language and of the techniques of demonstration presented. Thus, the evidence supports the conclusion that the proposed Teaching Module is an effective means for the teaching/learning of mathematical demonstration and, as such, provides a methodological guide which may lay the foundations for a new approach to this important subject

Atividades experimentais no ensino de biologia em escolas públicas do estado do Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil: caracterização geral e concepção de professores

Recent research has revealed that the majority of Biology teachers believe the practice of experimental activities as a didactical means would be the solution for the improvement of the Biology teaching-learning process. There are, however, studies which signal the lack of efficiency in such practice lessons as far as building scientific knowledge is concerned. It is also said that despite the enthusiasm on the teachers‟ part, such classes are rarely taught in high school. Several studies point pedagogical difficulties as well as nonexistence of a minimal infrastructure needed in laboratories as cause of low frequency in experimental activities. The poor teacher performance in terms of planning and development of classes; the large number of students per class; lack of financial stimulus for teachers are other reasons to be taken into account among others, in which can also be included difficulties of epistemological nature. That means an unfavorable eye of the teacher towards experimental activities. Our study aimed to clarify if such scenario is generalized in high schools throughout the state of Rio Grande do Norte Brazil. During our investigation a sample of twenty teaching institutions were used. They were divided in two groups: in the first group, five IFRN- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia do Rio Grande do Norte schools. Two of those in Natal, and the other three from the country side. The second group is represented by fifteen state schools belonging to the Natal metropolitan area. The objectives of the research were to label schools concerning laboratory facilities; to identify difficulties pointed by teachers when performing experiment classes, and to become familiar with the conceptions of the teachers in regarding biology experiment classes. To perform such task, a questionnaire was used as instrument of data collecting. It contained multiple choice, essay questions and a semi-structured interview with the assistance of a voice recorder. The data analysis and the in loco observation allowed the conclusion that the federal schools do present better facilities for the practice of experimental activities when compared to state schools. Another aspect pointed is the fact that teachers of federal schools have more time available for planning the experiments; they are also better paid and are given access a career development, which leads to better salaries. All those advantages however, do not show a significantly higher frequency regarding the development of experiments when compared to state school teachers. Both teachers of federal and state schools pointed infra-structure problems such as the availability of reactants, equipments and consumption supplies as main obstacle to the practice of experiments in biology classes. Such fact leads us to conclude that maybe there are other problems not covered by the questionnaire such as poor ability to plan and execute experimental activities. As far as conceptions about experimental activities, it was verified in the majority of the interviewees a inductive-empiric point of view of science possibly inherited during their academic formation and such point of view reflected on the way they plan and execute experiments with students

Construção e aplicação de uma sequência didática para o ensino de trigonometria usando software geogebra

The present study aims to analyze the potentialities and limitations of GeoGebra software on what concerns trigonometry s teaching and learning processes. Taking the present resources of public school from the state of Rio Grande do Norte, the research intends to answer the following question: Could we use the current conditions of public school and the Geogebra software to optimize the trigonometry s learning and teaching processes situation? . To make it a possible to answer the question above, a module of investigative activities was created and applied. The methodological intervention was made among second year High School students from a public school in Natal, RN. The theoretical reference of Mathematics Didactics was taken was a base, adopting the conceptions of Borba and Penteado (2001), Valente (1999) and Zulatto (2002, 2007) about the use of Information Technology (IT) on Mathematics classrooms. In order to create the investigative activities helped us to understand how the students make their constructions and their visual perception through the process of dragging images on the computer screen. Furthermore, the activities done with the GeoGebra software s resources facilitate the resolution of trigonometry situations

Análise das provas objetivas de química dos vestibulares da UFRN de 1997 a 2010: uma caracterização a partir das mudanças

Las pruebas de vestibular, en los últimos años en el Brasil, han sido objeto de diversas investigaciones, considerando que ese proceso selectivo es una de las vias para ingresar en las universidades públicas y termina por influenciar la enseñanza en las escuelas. De esa forma, algunos vestibulares han pasado por cambios, de un simple proceso selectivo clasificatorio a un proceso fundamentado en reflexiones sociológica, pedagógica y crítica, lo que ha promovido cuestionamientos respecto del aprendizaje y de su papel en la escuela. Delante de esa realidad, la Universidad Federal de Rio Grande del Norte (UFRN) ha implementado cambios en sus vestibulares procurando una aproximación a las Orientaciones Curriculares Nacionales, como los PCNEM, los PCN+ y las OCEM. Siendo así, el objetivo de este estudio fue caracterizar el avance cualitativo en las pruebas de preguntas objetivas a partir de los cambios ocurridos en el vestibular de la UFRN en el periodo de 1997 a 2010, definiéndose las siguientes cuestiones de estudio: ¿Cuáles son los tipos de preguntas que caracterizan las pruebas objetivas de Química del vestibular? ¿Cuáles cuestiones presentan las mayores dificultades para los candidatos? ¿Cuáles son los contenidos conceptuales privilegiados? ¿En qué tipo de preguntas los candidatos presentan mayores índices de éxitos? ¿Qué diferencias pueden ser establecidas entre las preguntas antes y después del periodo que establece los cambios en el vestibular de la UFRN? Las discusiones teóricas del estudio están fundamentadas en las siguientes referencias: PCNEM (BRASIL, 1999), PCN+ (BRASIL, 2001), OCEM (BRASIL, 2006), Zabala (1999), Jiménez Aleixandre et al. (2003), Pozo (1999), Álvarez de Zayas (1992), Núñez (2009), Relatorios Comperve/UFRN (1997 a 2010), e en relación a las evaluaciones: Pasquali et al. (2003), Silva y Núñez (2008), Marín y Benarrouch (2009). Para el estudio fueran construidas las siguientes categorías que permitieran el análisis de las cuestiones: contextualización de la cuestión, temas conceptuales, problema, representación semiótica, cálculo matemático, pertinencia de la cuestión e índice de acierto. Los resultados muestran un avance cualitativo de las preguntas de Química, en los cuales se observa un modelo de prueba que prioriza el uso de verdaderos problemas, de situaciones contextualizadas, de pocos cálculos, dándose prioridad al razonamiento que implica la comprensión, la aplicación y la interpretación de los conocimientos conceptuales, todo lo que puede estimular una enseñanza más adecuada en relación a las exigencias actuales de la Educación en Química

Uma investigação histórica sobre os logaritmos com sugestões didáticas para a sala de aula

This study was conducted from a preliminary research to identify the conceptual and didactic approach to the logarithms given in the main textbooks adopted by the Mathematics teachers in state schools in the School of Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte. I carried out an historical investigation of the logarithms in order to reorient the math teacher to improve its educational approach this subject in the classroom. Based on the research approach I adopted a model of the log based on three concepts: the arithmetic, the geometric and algebraic-functional. The main objective of this work is to redirect the teacher for a broad and significant understanding of the content in order to overcome their difficulties in the classroom and thus realize an education that can reach the students learning. The investigative study indicated the possibility of addressing the logarithms in the classroom so transversalizante and interdisciplinary. In this regard, I point to some practical applications of this matter are fundamental in the study of natural phenomena as earthquakes, population growth, among others. These practical applications are connected, approximately, Basic Problematization Units (BPUs) to be used in the classroom. In closing, I offer some activities that helped teachers to understand and clarify the meaningful study of this topic in their teaching practice

Vídeo-aula de história da matemática: uma possibilidade didática para o ensino de matemática

In this work we are disagreeing with the possibility of production and of the use of video-class for the disciplines of history of mathematics by the teachers of elementary e middle school as a way to contribute to the development of their classes. Our goal is to provide to the mathematics teachers the option of connecting social, scientific, cognitive, and didactic aspects of topics in math thoughts to their students. That shall be based in the presence of mathematics in the history of humanity. Thus, we consider possible that teachers and their students can link and relate mathematics to other sciences, education culture, and reflect about the many ways of represent them, as well as the patters of organization of nature and of culture. In this way, they shall be able to observe and interpret situations that involve mathematical questions associated to the various means of historic-epistemological studies already done by other researchers and scholars in the field of history of mathematics who works in creating video-classes. In addition to that, we can use all the available media in order to give edifying dynamics to the mathematical formulations established throughout history. In this sense, we are based and focused on the objectives, which are sustained by educational computer technology, techniques for video making, as well as mathematical teaching proposals and the historical inquiring made by Mendes (2001, 2009a, 2009b). The validating experimentation allowed us to conclude that the techniques we used in the production of the history of mathematics video-classes proved they to be valid ones. They are able to be executed with the minimum of technological resources. In addition, they have the same efficacy as far as classroom use

Elaboração e aplicação de uma sequência de atividades para o ensino da trigonometria numa abordagem histórica

The present work aims to report the construction of a workbook for teaching trigonometry focusing the possible mix between the historical approach to the teaching of mathematics and the professional master´s degree. For this, considerations about the history of mathematics as a teaching methodology, the education of the math teacher who will teach trigonometry and also about the course of elaboration and experimentation of the activities in the workbook were made (using the methodological strategy of action research). Finally, the workbook for the teaching of trigonometry in a historical approach is presented as an example of the above mentioned mix between the history of mathematics, mathematical school content and the professional master´s degree

Formação continuada de professores que ensinam matemática: o papel do ábaco na ressignificação da prática pedagógica

The present dissertation performs a study about abacus part on the continuous education of Elementary School s Mathematic teachers on what concerns the basic operations of addition and subtraction with (re)unification by using the manipulative and/or informatical abacus. Therefore, the research intends to answer the following question: How does a teacher reframe the pedagogical practice while teaching the Decimal Numeral System and the conventional operations of addition and subtraction with (re)unification through manipulative and informatical abacus? In order to do so, we rely ourselves on the Guy Brousseau s Theory of Didactic Situations (TDS) from 1996 that affirms the necessity to trace a way in accordance with the teaching situations that lead the student s learning; and on the work of Pierre Lévy (1993), in which the poles of communication oral, written and virtual create three ways of communication through which the learning process happens. The methodology of this paper was based on the Strategic Research-Action of Franco (2005). The didactic sequence was elaborated in accordance with TDS and used the manipulative and informatical abacus as didactic resource. With the application of the didactic sequence, it was verified that the continued formation of Elementary School s teachers concerning the operations of addition and subtraction on the initial years/levels is pertinent once it has been observed some difficulties of the teachers concerning this mathematical subject. Besides, the analysis of the didactic sequence has allowed one to realize that teachers had some difficulties concerning the numeric representation with order zero, the resolution of operations of addition and subtraction using the manipulative and informatical abacus and the realization of (re)unification on the subtraction with meaning. These observations has been discussed with the teachers and, after that, it has been done some didactic-methodological routings of the operations of addition and subtraction with re(unification) that contributes with the teaching and learning process.

Ensino de matemática pelo rádio (1950 1970): uma história falada e um documentário didático

This study aimed to describe and analyze aspects of the historical course of teaching Mathematics by Radio Experiences in Rio Grande do Norte, between the decades from 1950 to 1970 in order to organize a documentary (CD-ROM) containing information about Mathematics studied by Radio who have experienced it. In this, we use qualitative research. We seek support in the theoretical framework of cultural history and memory researchers as Certeau (1998), Chartier (1990), Le Goff (2008), Thompson (2002) and Peter Burke (2004). Moreover, we take the elements of oral history. We focus on the teaching of literacy and the primary of the Radio schools in two rural communities - Logradouro and Catolé - who are currently part of the city of Lagoa Salgada (RN) and, with respect to the Junior High School, we stopped in the Course of Madureza at Radio. We used as written sources, especially the documents found in the General Archives of the Archdiocese of Natal (RN) and the employees assigned by the participants of the survey. Our sources come from the oral testimonies of pupils and monitors Lagoa Salgada City, teachers, broadcasters and technicians of Rural Support Service (SAR) Natal (RN). In this study, we identify the geometry Cubação social practices of Lagoa Salgada students. Also identified in the research material, the Global Method with the pedagogy of Paulo Freire, that guided the production of lessons in literacy and primary courses. Content in Mathematics, we find traces of the trend-Empirical activist. In the course of Madureza, there was a tendency formal technique Fiorentini (1995). Finally, as a result of this study, organize and present a documentary (CD-ROM), along with the analysis of this study, containing the history of Mathematics teaching by Radio, from the speech of those who experienced Radio, emphasizing the methodology teaching developed in class, that serves as a reference material for students, professors and researchers.