A importância da experimentação aliada ao ensino teórico: contribuições pedagógicas

Abstract

Over the years, chemistry teachers have noticed that this subject is one of the most feared by students, but educators are looking for methodologies to facilitate the teaching and learning of students about the subjects to be taught in the classroom, associating them with everyday experiences. Experimentation in chemistry teaching is an important methodological contribution due to its efficiency in providing students with an understanding of the scientific method, awakening motivation and interest in the procedures, as well as leading to meaningful learning of the scientific concepts that underpin the curricular content, enabling educators to use various ways of approaching, teaching and summarizing chemical phenomena. This study looked at the teaching practice of public and private chemistry teachers in order to analyze their teaching experiences with an emphasis on the importance of experimentation as an ally to theoretical teaching. To this end, an exploratory study was carried out, based on bibliographical and field research to define the schools and teachers who were the subjects of this study, with the subsequent application of a questionnaire to collect data. The results obtained through this study showed that experiments make it easier to understand the content taught in the classroom and scientific concepts, help develop scientific attitudes and perform well in assessments. The absence of laboratories in some public and private educational institutions was noted, but teachers stressed the importance of an appropriate physical environment for experimental classes, with adequate glassware, basic reagents, security and organization to ensure that experiments are carried out efficiently and safely. It is therefore considered that experimentation in chemistry teaching is an important pedagogical resource that can help to build concepts and knowledge.