C. Azevedo, M. Gabriela T. C. Ribeiro, Joaquim C. G. Esteves da Silva, Students from a secondary school and their teacher learn more about water and soil pollution working with scientists, 3rd Int. Conf. Hands-on Science, Braga, 2006, Proceedings,119.
2006-09-04

Autores:
Cecília Azevedo
M. Gabriela T. C. Ribeiro*
Joaquim C. G. Esteves da Silva**

Instituições:
Escola Secundária da Trofa, Trofa.
*REQUIMTE, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto
**Centro de Investigação em Química, Departamento de Química e Bioquímica da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto

Resumo:
If we want students motivated to science we need enthusiastic teachers, who understand actual scientific research, prepared to promote development of scientific inquiry skills in their students. But is it possible to address, in school science, problems characteristic of actual science? This study refers to an experience where sixteen students and their teacher study a problem of soil and water pollution, caused by pesticides, in collaboration with a scientific laboratory.
The study has been developed in two parts. In the first part the teacher integrated a research team in a scientific laboratory and studied the interaction of a pesticide with fulvic acids (a fraction of soil organic material). In the second part she transferred the study of this problem to a pedagogical context when teaching about ‘solutions’ and ‘unitary operations’. Action/research was the methodology used by the teacher to evaluate teaching and learning all along. Data were collect through observation of students working, written students’ work, debates, questionnaires and individual interviews (at the end of the process to evaluate student’ appreciation of the experience).
The collaboration with the scientific laboratory motivated the students. They could do some of the experiments and were motivated to use and interpret some data obtained, with more sophisticated equipment, in the scientific laboratory. Students learned about ‘solutions’ and ‘unitary operations’ as they were working on a problem that interested them. On the other hand they were working as ‘scientists’ as they asked questions, did bibliography research, learned new techniques, used new scientific vocabulary, planned experiments, designed protocols, developed the experiments, analysed data, presented and discussed results, compared their results with others’ results.
The teacher developed a valuable research work. Participating in a research team immersed her in the culture of science. It also improved her confidence.

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