Uso de simuladores como ferramenta no ensino de conceitos abstratos de biologia: uma proposição investigativa para o ensino de síntese proteica

Abstract

There are many difficulties in the teaching and learning of concepts in Biology courses. To assist teachers and students in this process the information technologies offer the possibility to simulate, manipulate and visualize processes which in practice would be difficult or impossible to observable, therefore increasing the understanding of the contents. In this paper, we present and reflect on the proposal activity with investigative features from the computer simulation "Gene Expression - Fundamentals" available in the project Physics Educational Technology (PhET), the University of Colorado. We also analyzed the engagement, the contributions of simulation to other methodologies, the correlation between these two variables and the students' opinions about the script and the use of simulation in biology classes. The study was conducted with 77 students from Public High School in Divinópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Our results showed that the students had a significant engagement and a positive view on the use of simulation as a methodological strategy. Given the benefits of using simulation in teaching and learning processes observed in our work, we suggest using of simulation in teaching abstract concepts in Biology.