Câncer e alimentação: uma abordagem investigativa no ensino médio

Abstract

Bearing in mind the importance of cancer for society and that the incorporation of this theme in education can be advantageous for prevention of the disease, the objective of this study was to verify the level of approach to the subject cancer in school books and propose an active teaching methodology to work the content in the classroom. Three volumes referring to high school education from two collections of textbooks adopted in the public network were evaluated. It was observed that none of the analyzed books presented a contextualized approach to the subject. The qualitative-quantitative research began only after approval by the Research Ethics Committee (Number: 4,547,252). An investigative teaching sequence was developed and applied to a group of 49 students enrolled in the 3rd year of high school in the public network of Caxias - MA. Initially, the students answered a diagnostic questionnaire where it was observed that they have relatively satisfactory knowledge on the subject, but still with many gaps that were clarified as the work was being developed. Then, the students were divided into teams and received a collection of motivating texts, videos and infographics that addressed the “problem”. After the group reading, different “problem-situations” were presented through the “Dynamics myth or truth”, for which hypotheses were raised and debated. Subsequently, the students were instigated via Whatsapp as follows: “Can our food induce the occurrence of cancer?” and “How can scientists answer this question?”. A list of “possibly carcinogenic” foods was suggested for investigation through the Drosophila melanogaster Epithelial Tumor Assay. In the school laboratory, each team set up its experiment, was responsible for conducting and evaluating a different food/drink and at the end presented the data during the socialization of the project through tables and graphs, showing, among the substances tested, the one with the greatest potential. carcinogenic. At this point, a series of questions were asked, promoting debate and discussions about the relationship between each analyzed food and cancer, to consolidate knowledge. At the end, the students answered an individual questionnaire, where they indicated the level of participation in carrying out the project, identified their understanding of the problematizing question and the reason for choosing the Drosophila in the study, in addition to evidencing their findings about cancer. It was observed that the use of experimentation with Drosophila to investigate the carcinogenic potential of some foods and beverages allowed students to get in touch with the scientific method, where they perceived themselves to be protagonists in their learning and were able to understand the importance of food care and its relationship with the development of cancer. It was possible to observe that the students were interested and very receptive to the teaching methodology, despite having difficulty in elaborating and justifying their hypotheses. Finally, approaching the topic in an investigative way proved to be a challenge, but it contributed to the students' learning, promoting the formation of more conscious and enlightened citizens, capable of making healthier choices for their lives and their families, expanding the scope of school education.