Potencialidades dos mapas conceituais no processo ensino-aprendizagem em Zoologia

Abstract

In contemporary times, the knowledge of Zoology is explored within the curricular matrix of several undergraduate courses in the areas of life sciences. They are included in basic curricular components aimed at understanding about animals within the context of biodiversity. Because it is an area that encompasses a large number of taxa and presents many peculiar scientific terminologies to be explored within an evolutionary sequence, it is a challenge to promote adequate learning when directed to students who are newly admitted to higher education. In order to minimize these problems, numerous didactic strategies have been used by teachers at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), including visits to the field, laboratory classes, play activities, exhibitions of didactic material, as well as the application of Concept Maps (MCs) in teaching and learning about animal diversity. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate the potential and implications of the use of MCs in the teaching and learning process of Zoology in Biological Sciences courses involving the study of invertebrate taxa. This is a qualitative-qualitative research with participant observation procedures and content analysis. In order to achieve these objectives, two undergraduate and graduate courses in Biological Sciences (teacher's and Bachelor's degree), involving the Curriculum Zoology I component were followed. Several documents were produced in the discipline, such as: questionnaires (diagnoses, activities, expectations and qualitative evaluation); summative evaluation; didactic activities (guided studies, reviews, reports, projects and exercises exploring MCs), among others. The analysis of the documents evidenced MCs as an efficient resource to diagnose knowledge, mobilize and motivate students to acquire and retain contents included in Zoology. The results found in the research together with the experience lived and built in the course of the research, also supported the elaboration of an educational product called " Didactic suggestions for exploring Concept maps in pedagogical training: evidencing biological contents”.