Plantas alimentícias não convencionais (PANCs): uma proposta de abordagem no ensino médio

Abstract

“Unconventional Food Plants” (UFPs) are plants that were widely used in the past, but their use has been replaced by using foods produced on monocultures. These plants have great potential to diversify the diet and promote food safety, especially in a scenario where conventional agriculture, focused on monocultures, can reduce nutritional diversity. They are often classified as “weeds” because they grow spontaneously in cultivated areas and are not part of the main crops. Although a large part of the population has already “heard of them”, they are not part of the daily and common menu of most Brazilians and, despite having been revived in recent years and becoming the subject of, mainly, cooking programs hosted by famous chefs, in practice, they have remained outside of current eating habits. The main objective of this study was to use an investigative teaching approach using the theme of UFPs during Biology classes for high school students to be a first step towards stimulating the interest of these students regarding this group of plants and the adherence of a more diverse, healthy and nutritious diet. The research was qualitative and exploratory, and the data analysis was carried out following the steps of a Discursive Textual Analysis. The study was developed with 27 students, from the 3rd year of Brazilian high school, aged between 17 and 19 years old, in a state school located in Maceió (AL). In this perspective, an investigative activity was carried out, through a sequence of seven classes, listed below: 1. Expository class regarding UFPs; 2. Proposing a “Research Problem” (Is it possible to revive the use of these plants in an attempt to make our diet more diverse, healthy, affordable and sustainable?), followed by a survey of students’ formulated hypotheses, so that these could be tested and verified as to their veracity or refutation; 3. Individual knowledge systematization; 4. Elaboration of test activities for the hypotheses raised; 5. Carrying out the hypothesis tests at an agroecological fair; 6. Students’ records of the activities carried out; and 7. Activity’s final evaluation. Among the four hypotheses proposed by the students, only one was confirmed, which demonstrates the importance of the investigative process in teaching students how to test and validate ideas based on real evidence. Throughout the research development, it was observed that the students became aware of the UFPs in the region, in addition to a greater concern regarding feeding. Before the research development, many students were not even aware of the UFPs, nor of some of their benefits, which changed at the end of the process. This type of activity not only increased students’ knowledge on the topic, but also engaged them in a deeper and more meaningful learning process. During the bibliographical research, it became clear that there was a lack of research and materials related to the teaching of Unconventional Food Plants (UFPs) and carrying out food fairs in the school environment, highlighting the importance of studies focused on the topic. The practice of interdisciplinarity in the activity with UFPs demonstrated how the integration between different curricular components can enrich the learning experience, making it more meaningful and contextualized. Meanwhile, promoting an approach that connects different curricular components made students see the different components as interconnected parts of a whole, rather than isolated areas. This practice not only improves students’ understanding of the knowledge objects, but also develops important skills for analysing and solving complex problems. Continuing to implement and expand these interdisciplinary approaches can contribute to a more integrated and effective education, better preparing students for real-world challenges. Thus, the observation that the Investigation Teaching Sequence was beneficial in approaching Unconventional Food Plants (UFPs) confirms the efficacy of this methodology in education, especially in Biology classes.