Divulgação do uso pacífico da energia nuclear para o público leigo de crianças do ensino básico

Abstract

The peaceful use of nuclear energy, both for secure energy and medical applications, needs to be disseminated among the lay public so that fear is not expressed as risk because of lack of knowledge. For this, it is valid the training effort among children of Basic Education, in the instigation to the conscious knowledge that must be consolidated throughout its school career. Thus, in the context of an extension project with a partnership between the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and the Municipal Department of Education of the city of Santa Luzia, the theme "Energy: to Know to Understand"using the background of Disney's movie "Monsters S / A" (2001). In the movie the monsters use the energy of the children's cry, but they know them little, considering them toxic and serve in the project to establish analogy with the fear of nuclear energy. The project was developed in twenty-two public schools in the city. Classroom activities, lectures and model construction were the instruments used to observe the appropriation of concepts among students. The teachers answered a questionnaire about the development of the project activities. With the development of the project, it has been demonstrated that critical knowledge on the safe use of nuclear energy is being developed, through new correlations now aimed at a plausible comparison with other sources of energy. Teachers demonstrated involvement with the theme and willingness to address broader concepts of science and technology