Cold porcelain and 3D simulation: joining science and technology to elucidate the origins of life through microbiology

Abstract

DOI: 10.12957/interag.2016.15862

Teaching practice is a stimulating source to a scientist’s initial formation, in a scenario in which the student-teacher dynamically takes full advantage of the time spent in school in the several STEM activities (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). However, before becoming a scientist, he must understand his development as a human being and his interactions with the environment in which he is placed. In this way, this project aimed to offer knowledge and practice based on science and technology to pupils in Elementary School. The project would offer alternative techniques for the teaching/learning of the genesis of life sustained by the endosymbiotic theory. The study has been done with 31 twelve-year-old students, but only 18 participated in the interviews. The institutions involved are from Catalão, Goiânia, urban perimeter and countryside. Audiovisual resources, activities with cold porcelain clay and 3D animations were used for the pedagogical activities in order to elucidate the endosymbiotic theory. The data obtained were qualitatively analyzed. Before the workshop, all the students proved to be unfit when answering basic questions about cell biology and evolution of living beings. After the intervention, 72,2% (13/18) associated endosymbiosis with the genesis of the eukaryote. The debates inside the classroom together with the pupils enabled their improvement in relation to the basic notions on cell biology. These students demonstrated their ability to articulate scientific knowledge about evolution together with the narrow relation with the pedagogical material elaborated.