A ciência no mundo mágico: utilizando o universo Harry Potter como ferramenta didática no ensino de botânica em uma turma de Ensino Médio

Abstract

Teaching the plant kingdom in the classroom faces challenges related to students’ lack of motivation and difficulty in understanding the content when it is taught in a decontextualized manner. Based on the idea that the use of playful activities involving elements from the Harry Potter saga in the classroom can enhance this teaching process, this study aimed to investigate how the fictional universe of this film series could contribute to learning in a second-year high school class at a public school in Uruçuí, Piauí. Initially, a pre-test was administered to assess the students’ prior knowledge about the Plantae Kingdom. Next, the film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was shown, followed by an interactive lecture relating elements from the saga to botanical content. Subsequently, a post-test containing questions to analyze both learning outcomes and students’ perceptions of the methodology used was applied. The results showed a significant improvement in students’ performance, especially in questions related to the identification and classification of plant groups, as well as an increase in interest, motivation, and participation during the class. It was concluded that the integration of science and playful elements promotes more meaningful learning, contributing to greater student engagement with botanical content