Etnobotânica e o ensino de ciências da natureza: uma investigação pedagógica

Abstract

Science teaching has as its main proposal to demystify traditional knowledge, helping in the construction of knowledge through the connection of popular knowledge with scientific knowledge. The present study seeks to investigate the approach of ethnobotany in Science teaching, through academic and didactic productions and the perceptions of students and teachers. For this purpose, an initial knowledge questionnaire was applied to elementary school students, evaluating the knowledge regarding the biodiversity of the Pampa biome and its flora. Also, a bibliographic search was carried out in the databases, Google Scholar and Word Wide Science, in order to find studies that addressed ethnobotanical knowledge in science teaching. Publications of articles in magazines, course conclusion works, theses, dissertations, simple and expanded abstracts of proceedings and e-books articles, available until the year 2020, were analyzed. As well, the study of Science textbooks was carried out about how the topics of ethnobotany and the biodiversity of Brazilian biomes are approached. For this, five collections of textbooks were analyzed, three complete collections, and two incomplete collections with a collection of three copies and the other with one copy. Also, a perception survey was carried out with teachers working in science teaching, applying an online questionnaire about ethnobotanical knowledge and its application in teaching. As well as carrying out a pedagogical intervention with the application of workshops and a final evaluative questionnaire, promoting the protagonism of students about popular knowledge with scientific knowledge, arousing ethnobotanical curiosity and the Pampa biome and verifying student learning. The application of the initial knowledge questionnaire showed a deficient teaching in which students portray concepts and cannot associate that the environment in which they live is the Pampa biome. The findings in the databases have the performance of activities containing everyday subjects, linking popular knowledge to scientific knowledge, as well as showing weaknesses in approaching the topic of ethnobotany in science teaching, but they present different methods that promote the construction of knowledge and teaching learning. Consequently, textbooks and the teachers' perception present a deficient teaching, having little knowledge that guide the teaching and learning of students about the biodiversity of the Pampa biome and ethnobotanical knowledge. However, the application of the pedagogical intervention made possible the protagonism and engagement of students in a collective and collaborative way in carrying out the activities, promoting the scientific language and the construction of knowledge, in view of the local knowledge of the students.