Quintais urbanos: um espaço educativo não formal para prática da botânica e da sensibilização ambiental

Abstract

Botany is one of the least attractive areas of the Biology curriculum for high school students, as it is often only explained through theoretical lectures, based on the textbook and with an infinite number of nomenclatures, thus distancing the students from their natural environment and, consequently, discouraging them from learning. Using urban backyards is an opportunity for students to get to know and explore this space of the home, to provide reflections on their relationships with the environment, as well as being a living laboratory to study plants. Aiming to verify the effectiveness of non-formal educational spaces in the teaching of Botany and environmental perception, the research was developed with a sample universe of 20 students in the second year of high school in a public school located in the city of Tianguá - Ceará. Data collection took place through the application of an investigative teaching sequence and participatory methodologies. They explored the backyards of their homes and involved family members in the construction of their knowledge. The students demonstrated, through the free list, that they know a diversity of plants by reporting 78 different species in 170 citations, and that 35% of the plants mentioned are found in their homes. It was also found that the first crops had food or medicinal purposes and that this space, from the students' perspective, awakens affective memories, strengthens family ties in the care of plants, and provides a meaningful learning about plants. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that the investigative teaching developed from the interaction of students with their families and the use of the backyard as a laboratory contributed positively to the construction of botanical knowledge, making it more meaningful, concrete and consistent with the reality in which they live.