EXPERIMENTACIÓN EN LA ENSEÑANZA DE LA FÍSICA CON EL USO DE SOFTWARE PHET EN LA FUERZA Y MOVIMIENTO DEL APRENDIZAJE EN EL BACHILLERATO
Strength and Movement. Simulations. PhET software. Learning.
Virtual experiments are characterized as learning objects that use specific software to demonstrate real events. This experimentation proposal has been widely disseminated as didactic material, constituting itself as an important technological artifact in the teaching and learning processes in the discipline of Physics, acting as a mediator between theory and practice. Strength and Movement are concepts of the discipline of Physics and curricular component addressed in the 1st year of High School. Understanding the current context about the use of digital technologies and acceptance by individuals, this study had as main proposal to investigate the didactic use of the PhET software in the contents of Strength and Movement for meaningful learning. With regard to specific objectives, we sought to characterize the PhET software; to analyze the students' previous knowledge about the Force and Movement contents; verify the possible contributions of the PhET computer simulator to the students' meaningful learning; build an activity script for physics teachers as a didactic sequence proposal for using the PhET software, working on the contents of Strength and Movement in the perspective of meaningful learning. This work is of an exploratory nature of action-research type and brings a qualitative approach, developed with 12 students from a class of the first year of High School, of Regular Education, from the State School Professor Arthur Ramos, located in the municipality of Pilar/AL. Data collection was carried out by applying the diagnostic and learning assessment questionnaires, as well as by observing students during simulations with the PhET software carried out during synchronous meetings. The questionnaires were prepared with open and closed questions, applied before and after the use of the PhET software and the observations were recorded from an electronic diary, including the events that we believe to be most relevant during the four synchronous moments. During the first two synchronous meetings, it was possible to notice the absence of participation by some students, however, in the remaining two meetings, it was possible to notice a greater interaction between the students, as well as between them and the teacher. The interactive simulations of the PhET software contribute to learning, considering the students' responses to the learning assessment questionnaire, the virtual interaction with the physical events, the instant results between the variables involved in each simulation, the experience in manipulating the simulations and the fact of constantly redoing them, allowed the students to be more motivated at the time of the simulations and in the description of the answers to the propositions. As an educational product, the result of this research, a script of activities was developed for the use of physics teachers, this being a didactic sequence proposal with the use of the PhET software in the perspective of student learning.