Explicações científicas escolares para o conceito de densidade a partir de atividades baseadas na POE (Previsão, Observação e Explicação)

Abstract

Scientific explanation is considered an important ability to work in the field of science education not only by its presence in classrooms when working on the process for understanding contents, but also with the stimulation of other cognitive abilities. In considering as a skill to be developed in the context in the classroom, we propose in our study to investigate the use of the didactic strategy based on Prediction-ObservationExplanation (POE), for the elaboration of scientific explanations in an experimental activity on the concept of density. The research was applied with students from a state public school of a first-year class of integrated technical safety course at the intermediate level. The data collection was done through audio and video recording of the classes, besides the records made by the students during the execution of the activity and the field diaries that served for the direct observations considered relevant. At the end of the intervention, which lasted approximately three meetings in which the first was a theoretical approach and the other two were experimental activities, we were able to perform some analysis of the oral discourse and the written responses by the student groups, from elements of the discursive textual analysis , in the light of the pragmatic illocutionary model of explanation and also supporting us in contributions that emerged during discussions in the study group Argumentation in Teaching of Sciences of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte. As results, we observed that the activity contributed to the incorporation of some explanatory elements by the students, although the students were not explicitly oriented on a structural model for this action. In addition, other important aspects were awakened, such as the interaction among students, questions, curiosities, where the negotiation involved in the activity provided the stimulus for reflection and greater commitment to solve the activity.