Ensino transversal da intolerância à lactose em uma perspectiva investigativa

Abstract

The investigative approach enables student protagonism and seeks to form critical individuals who are aware of the importance of learning. The study aimed to develop and apply an Investigative Teaching Sequence (SEI in the Portuguese acronym) on monogenic inheritance of lactose intolerance (IL in the Portuguese acronym) in a contextualized way and related to biochemical, molecular, and evolutionary aspects. In the SEI, six moments were carried out in ten classes with 30 high school students in a State School of Professional Education in Piauí, in a dialogic way, covering: 1. previous knowledge about LI and analysis of the problematizing situation; 2. experimental test of glucose levels; 3. interpretation of heredograms; 4. molecular analysis of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and gene expression; 5. evolutionary process about milk consumption and 6. conclusions. Data were collected individually and/or collectively through discursive interactions, dissertative questions, resolution of the initial problem, and a feedback questionnaire. The data were analyzed qualitatively (attitudinal and procedural skills) and quantitatively. The results of the discursive interactions during the SEI demonstrated in general that the students have greater ease and motivation to position themselves and talk when the topic is about everyday experiences. The analyzed speeches revealed a conceptual learning with efficient integration of terms and concepts, besides the observation of attitudes and procedures in acquiring, interpreting, and communicating information, which reaffirm the learning of the theme. The speeches denote a critical interpretation of the problem situation, collaborative work, the construction of explanatory models, hypothesis raising, data interpretation and their interaction with the problem, and the construction and presentation of conclusions. The quantitative results of the individual questions at the end of each phase showed an improvement in the ability to express understanding in written form, indicating that the stimulus for argumentation is necessary and develops students with greater ability to organize and present their ideas and conclusions in a more confident and complete way. In the feedback questionnaire, the students showed interest in activities that allowed their active participation, with practical and/or ludic methodologies allied to the teaching of theory and that related the content to everyday life experiences. Thus, the SEI facilitated the students' understanding with practical and ludic application of the content, as well as arose greater interest in relation to physiology, genetics, gene expression and evolution.