Uso de simuladores virtuais para uma aprendizagem significativa dos níveis tróficos no ensino fundamental

Abstract

The teaching-learning process of trophic levels and their relationships with the environment is increasingly important in a world that has suffered from problems such as deforestation and major climate changes in recent years, which have led to environmental imbalance. The researcher empirically identified that elementary school students have difficulty learning this area and the impacts that this imbalance can have on the environment. This work, linked to the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematics Teaching at the University of Passo Fundo (PPGECM - UPF), in the research line Information, Communication and Interaction Technologies applied to Science and Mathematics teaching. The general objective is to analyze the implications arising from the development and application of a didactic sequence for teaching trophic levels in Elementary School, in the form of a Potentially Significant Teaching Unit (UEPS), anchored in the use of virtual simulators and supported by the Theory of Significant Learning. To this end, the application of a UEPS is proposed, which includes the use of a virtual simulator and teaching materials produced by the researcher in the form of an educational product. It is developed at the Anísio Teixeira State School, in the city of Ariquemes - RO, during after-school hours, with a group of 15 eighth-grade Elementary School students. The methodological procedures are made possible through exploratory research, with a qualitative approach, using as data production instruments: pre- and post-intervention questionnaires, conceptual maps produced by the students and the logbook used by the research teacher. The educational product linked to this dissertation consists of a didactic sequence and is especially dedicated to Science teachers, for teaching trophic levels in elementary education. The results indicate that the use of virtual simulators is a potentially significant resource that students can interact with and use with great ease. It was also identified that students acquire the ability to transfer and apply knowledge in different contexts through conceptual maps. The answers given by students to the reflective questions indicate that students assimilate knowledge, demonstrating through practical and objective examples of the content covered. The conclusion of the assessment, consisting of 10 questions, reflects an overall rate of correct answers by students of 77%. An analysis reveals that the main area of ​​error lies in the students' ability to identify the total number of food chains within a web. Finally, the educational product, an additional document of this dissertation, is available on the educational products portal of the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematics Teaching at the University of Passo Fundo and on the EduCapes website.