Brazilian Journals Publicações de Periódicos e Editora Ltda.
Abstract
The 20th and 21st centuries are marked by the great number of technological advances in different areas of society. It is possible observe that equipment, procedures and technological systems become obsolete with almost the same speed and facility in which were implemented. It is from this great change, that appear questions about the role of education, especially regarding science teaching, to make a population more critical and participatory that could make its decisions in the globalized world. From this point of view, traditional teaching no longer meets the demand in the teaching-learning process, consequently changes are needs to perform a critical debate on science with the large population in a more inclusive way. In order to contribute to improve the teaching of Chemistry, the present work consists of the elaboration of a didactic sequence (DS) on Radioactivity and application of this in a social preparatory course. Audiovisual resources and texts were used to direct the DS, under the aspect of the significant learning methodology, with emphasis on the social role of science teaching. The approach was guided by documentaries about the accident that occurred in Goiânia with the radioactive material Césio-137 in 1987, which emphasizes the social and environmental consequences of non-understanding in the manipulation of radioactive materials. Debates were also used as a pedagogical tool in the formation of students as a critical individual and active participant in society. The results indicated that students felt motivated to learn the subject and actively participate in the class, making them more aware of the importance of science learning, emphasizing that this knowledge is not unique and important only for people who are or will specialize in the area
