A semiótica no processo de ensino e aprendizagem de Química para surdos: um estudo na perspectiva da multimodalidade

Abstract

Semiotics is an important Science that combines with the process of meaning make in Chemical field and is dedicated to the understanding of signs. Especially concerning Deaf Education, researches about the process of teaching and learning the Science for these students has just recently emerged, and such reality is even more incipient regarding chemistry teaching. Considering that semiosis is established in the act of perceive and understanding the world and that the deaf alterity needs to be respected and met in its visual essence, this research aimed to comprehend how different semiotic modes facilitate the deaf student's access to Chemical knowledge. Therefore, adopting the Case Study strategy, we investigated which practices are performed by teachers who teach Chemistry to deaf students in three different educational institutions. By using the data obtained from one of the schools, we were able to perform a multimodal analysis of an episode of teaching, from which we found the necessary interdependence of modes in the production of meanings. Given the lack of signals-terms corresponding to chemical terminologies, our research was also dedicated to contributing to this field. With the help of deaf people, signalers were developed with signals-terms proposals aiming to facilitate the teachers’ action and the educational interpreters in their practices. In the present study, we also elaborated a multimodal didactic sequence for energy teaching and some of its diverse manifestations. Then, we employed this method in a second-year class of High School with two deaf students. This stage allowed us to analyze the contributions and limitations of the didactic sequence in the investigated context, and the appropriation of some signals-terms related to the theme energy by the deaf students. We consider that more consistent awareness and preparation are still needed in schools, with both teachers and interpreters involved in the deaf educative process. Moreover, we point out that the use of different visual aids, the essential articulation between semiotic modes, the use of signals-terms and the appreciation of dialogic moments proved to be indispensable for meanings construction, in the context of Chemistry education for deaf people. Thus, we aspiring that these students can actively participate in knowledge construction, it is essential to combine good communication with classes focused on multimodes and visual resources.