Entre a química e a vida: investigando conceitos quimicos de estequiometria por meio de caos de ensino

Abstract

The teaching of Chemistry, especially with regard to stoichiometry, still represents a challenge for high school students due to the high level of conceptual abstraction and the gap between school content and everyday experiences. In light of this issue, this research aimed to investigate the potential of using teaching cases, articulated with an inquiry-based approach, in the learning of stoichiometry concepts in the school context, using the interface between Chemistry and Health as the axis of contextualization. This qualitative, applied, and interventionist study was conducted with a second-year high school class from a public school in Flores da Cunha (RS), within the area of Languages and its Technologies, in the context of the New High School formative pathways. The didactic sequence developed integrated active methodologies such as the Jigsaw method, learning stations, and a thematic Escape Room, promoting student protagonism and the development of investigative competencies. Data were collected through participant observation, concept maps, written records, and interpretative analysis of classroom interactions. The theoretical framework was based on Piaget, Bachelard, and Vygotsky, articulating the cognitive, epistemological, and sociocultural dimensions of scientific learning. The results indicated significant progress in the understanding of the quantitative relationships of chemical reactions, evidenced, for example, by greater precision in solving stoichiometric problems, expanded use of scientific language, and strengthened students? argumentative skills, in addition to increased collaboration and collective engagement in investigative activities. It was observed that the teaching of stoichiometry, when contextualized and mediated through investigative situations, favors the overcoming of conceptual obstacles and the development of critical thinking. The resulting educational product - Stoichiometry Mission: Teaching Cases in Chemistry and Health - presents an innovative and replicable proposal aligned with the guidelines of the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC), contributing to teacher education and to the renewal of pedagogical practices in Chemistry teaching. It is concluded that the articulation among inquiry, contextualization, and interdisciplinarity constitutes a promising path for bringing science closer to life and promoting more meaningful, critical, and humanizing learning. [resumo fornecido pelo autor]