O ensino da biotecnologia na educação básica: uma sequência didática sobre organismos geneticamente modificados

Abstract

In the last decades, the advances in biotechnology and its relationship with the daily life of individuals have intensified, by means of products available in the most diverse areas, such as the food, pharmaceutical, and fuel industries, in addition to their interactions with the environment. In this scenario, the approach of this area of study is quite relevant, in order to promote scientific literacy in students with the development of a critical consciousness, which contributes to them becoming citizens capable of making their choices consciously. The objective of this work was to develop active and investigative activities, to analyze their contribution to the construction of concepts and the promotion of criticalreflexive thinking in high school students about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The proposed remote activities consisted of text and image analysis, classes with active and investigative methodology associated with guided debates, a workshop simulating the production of recombinant DNA, a simulated jury, and a workshop on text production for the creation of a podcast about the theme. This study presented a qualitative approach, whose data collection instruments consisted of the analysis of pre and post-test questionnaires, field notebooks, and class recordings, in order to verify the knowledge and beliefs, as well as to evaluate the impacts of the didatic sequence (DS) on the students' perceptions about GMOs. The results showed that the students' conceptions were based on those of common sense and that there was difficulty in argumentation. Throughout the application of the activities, increasing motivation and engagement could be seen, despite the impact caused by the emergency remote teaching model adopted. It was also found greater mastery in the preposition of arguments and changes in perceptions at the end of performing all stages of the DS. It was concluded that the use of diversified methods that put the student in evidence, that raise problematizing questions, and that address real issues, is of great importance when the intention is to form individuals capable of positioning themselves in a conscious and enlightened way, able to change the reality that surrounds them.