Metodologias ativas no ensino de ciências: contribuições das atividades práticas, dos recursos didáticos e das tecnologias digitais no Colégio Militar 2 de Julho, São Luís / MA

Abstract

Traditional teaching in Natural Sciences often prioritizes the passive memorization of nomenclatures, resulting in student disinterest and cognitive barriers such as plant blindness. Given this scenario, this study aims to evaluate the contribution of active learning methodologies in Science Teaching, investigating the cognitive gain and conceptual restructuring of basic education students regarding Botany and Earth Structure contents. The research, adopting a qualitative-quantitative and descriptive approach, was conducted with 28 sixth-grade students of Elementary School at the Colégio Militar 2 de Julho, in São Luís/MA. The methodological course comprised a diagnostic phase through informal conversations, the application of a diagnostic assessment, pedagogical interventions based on dialogued lectures, the use of a printed botany activity booklet, the employment of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) through synchronous digital simulations with the Stellarium astronomy software, and the production of educational materials, concluding with the application of a final evaluative questionnaire. The results pointed to a significant conceptual evolution: in Botany, complaints about the complexity of technical terms dropped from 71.4% to 14.2%, accompanied by mitigated difficulties in the microscopic abstraction of plant physiology; in Earth Structure, the correct answer rate regarding the internal layers of the planet rose from 28.5% to 94.2% after the introduction of three-dimensional models, while mastery over the rotation movement jumped from 32.1% to 97.1% using the virtual simulator. It was observed that didactic diversification activated multiple knowledge input channels, overcoming the mnemonic model. It is concluded that the applied active methodologies fully met their objectives, demonstrating pedagogical effectiveness in overcoming common sense and validating the classroom's cognitive heterogeneity as a path toward engagement and scientific literacy.