Contribuições da ferramenta gráfica Blockly no processo ensino-aprendizagem na disciplina de algoritmos

Abstract

Algorithms is a discipline in which fundamental concepts of computer programming are addressed, they are considered essential for students who wish to follow the Course of Information Technology. In this discipline, high capacity for logical reasoning and abstraction is required from students, demanding from the teacher a commitment to the learning process and a certain availability to develop educational proposals that help students overcome difficulties that may arise. In this context, this research proposes to investigate the potential of the use of a graphical tool (Blockly) as a teaching and learning strategy in the algorithms subject. 26 academics participated in this study and also the teacher (the researcher) of Algorithms discipline of the Internet Systems graduation course from Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Rio Grande do Sul/IFSul, Passo Fundo in the second half of 2014. The research had a qualitative approach and its data were consisted of records from the activities performed by the students using the graphical tool, activities in the classroom and the observations performed by the researcher-teacher. It was observed, through the application of the tool, that during this process, the role of the software used has been changed gradually from a tool for application and expansion of knowledge to a diagnostic tool. This instrument allowed to identified conceptual difficulties on constructing algorithms of contents that were already covered in the course, and, until then, were not noticed by the teacher. Thus, the research enabled the understanding of the tool as a mediator instrument used to encourage students to design action plans and solve challenges at the same time as it gave clues to the teacher about how to act on Proximal Development Zone of those individuals. Besides the historical-cultural theory, Didactic notions of mathematics, the Theory of Didactic Situations (Brousseau), the theory of records of semiotic representations (Duval) and concepts such as didactic transposition (Chevallard), problem solving (Polya) and mental representations (Duval) substantiated the study. Based on the survey results, important considerations that go beyond the application of a software are presented, based on observing the "behavior", the "attitudes" and the procedures adopted by the students and the teacher during the investigative process. During the development of this research, important elements emerged that made possible to identify difficulties of the researcher-teacher regarding its practice and its ability to feel part of the teaching-learning algorithms process. It was noted that the use of software with the purpose of assist in the teaching-learning of algorithms process constitute the "knowledge" needed to teach.