Quem mexeu no meu queijo? Uma proposta de ensino de Biologia investigativo sobre fermentação

Abstract

The teaching of Biology faces several challenges today, such as the lack of student interest and engagement; scarcity of resources and infrastructure in schools for developing practical lessons; difficulties in understanding concepts and terms; and the need to contextualize topics with the students’ surroundings. Thus, strategies to overcome these barriers should prioritize methodologies that encourage active student participation in the learning process. Based on this, this research aimed to create, implement, and analyze an investigative didactic sequence (IDS) that connects the topic of fermentation, good hygiene practices in the production of artisanal Minas cheese, and microbial development as a way to enhance students' understanding of the world they are part of, stimulating argumentation, critical analysis, debate, and the expression of ideas regarding the topic. To achieve this, the IDS proposal was structured into four lessons, which included the following activities: (i) Presentation of the problem-situation "Who moved my cheese?" with prior knowledge assessment and guiding questions for hypothesis formulation (orientation and conceptualization); (ii) Methylene blue test on four milk samples from: mechanical milking, manual milking under hygienic conditions, manual milking without hygienic conditions, and ultra-high temperature (UAT) milk, along with the production of artisanal Minas cheese (investigation); (iii) Deciphering a secret message using the genetic code, reading texts, and watching videos about lactic fermentation and the holes in the cheese (conclusion); (iv) A dialogued lecture to clarify doubts; (v) Creation of a flyer on good practices in cheese production (discussion). The research involved twenty-eight first-year high school students from a state school in the municipality of Engenheiro Navarro, MG. The implementation of the IDS allowed students to expand their knowledge on topics relevant to their reality, such as how lactic fermentation occurs and its role in the production of artisanal cheeses; the importance of good hygiene practices in the production of these products for health promotion; and how to communicate this importance to the community. As a final product, an e-book was developed, which can be accessed by other basic education teachers as a teaching-learning strategy, both for students directly involved in the artisanal Minas cheese production chain and for those who, at some point, act as consumers.