Experimentação no ensino de física com o uso do simulador computacional PHET na aprendizagem de força e movimento no ensino médio

Abstract

Virtual experiments are characterized as learning objects that use specific simulators to demonstrate real events. This proposal for experimentation has been widely disseminated as teaching material, constituting an important technological artifact in teaching and learning processes in the discipline of Physics, acting as a mediator between theory and practice. Force and Movement are concepts of the discipline of Physics and a curricular component addressed in the 1st year of High School. Understanding the current context regarding the use of digital technologies and acceptance by individuals, this study had as its main proposal to investigate the didactic use of the PhET computer simulator in Force and Motion contents for meaningful learning. With regard to specific objectives, we sought to characterize the PhET computer simulator; analyze students' prior knowledge about Force and Motion contents; verify the possible contributions of the PhET computer simulator for the meaningful learning of students; build a script of activities for Physics teachers as a didactic sequence proposal for the use of the PhET computer simulator, working the Force and Motion contents in the perspective of meaningful learning. This work is of an exploratory participant research type and brings a qualitative approach, developed with 12 students from a class of the first year of high school, regular education, from the Professor Arthur Ramos State School, located in the city of Pilar/AL. Data collection was carried out through the application of diagnostic and learning assessment questionnaires, as well as through observation of students during simulations with the PhET computer simulator performed during synchronous meetings. The questionnaires were elaborated with open and closed questions, applied before and after the use of the PhET computer simulator, and the observations had their records made from an electronic diary, with events that we believe to be more relevant during the four synchronous moments. During the first two synchronous meetings it was possible to notice the absence in the participation of some students, however, in the two remaining meetings, it was possible to notice a greater interaction between the students, as well as between them and the teacher. The interactions with the use of the PhET computer simulator contributes to learning, considering the students' responses to the learning assessment questionnaire, the virtual interaction with physical events, the instantaneous results between the variables involved in each simulation, the experience in manipulating the simulations and redoing them constantly, 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, as a result of this research, a script of activities was developed for use by Physics teachers, which is a proposal for a didactic sequence using the PhET computer simulator from the perspective of student learning.