Temas atuais no ensino de biologia: abordando a astrobiologia no contexto da origem da vida.

Abstract

This paper discusses the use of two didactic sequences with the theme "Origin of life" in a class of first year high school students over a semester. The work was developed in a CTS perspective, involving students in the research process, in activities that address socio-scientific issues. The activities aimed to lead the student to question and discuss the hypotheses for the emergence of life in the light of a new theme, Astrobiology. This consists in the study of the origin, evolution and distribution of life in the universe. It is a multidisciplinary field and therefore uses the knowledge of biology - especially molecular biology - and geology, chemistry, physics and astronomy to investigate the possibility of life in all its forms in the past and at present, on other planets and other solar systems. The structure used here as a didactic sequence consists of a planned succession of progressive and articulated activities, guided by a theme, a general objective and an orderly production. The two didactic sequences produced contemplated different strategies and didactic resources such as the use of contemporary literature, the video exhibition, the group work and the discussion, whose intention was to improve the understanding of what the biological sciences and their knowledge represent for human society, and were based on life as we know it and its possibility of occurrence off Earth. Data collection was performed through participant observation and the methodology used to analyze the results was qualitative, using the cognitive figuration, based on the Actor-Network theory. The results show, through the activity reports, the translations and associations that formed the knowledge network identified along the two didactic sequences. These results suggest that learning cannot be understood as a linear process, as it goes beyond the perspective in which students with different worldviews have the same time to grasp content, especially when it comes to a theme with strong cultural roots, such as life on other planets.