O jardim sensorial como ferramenta didática para o ensino de ciências e a mitigação da cegueira botânica

Abstract

Responsible for the study of plants, Botany is still seen as a discipline with little contextualization and with scarce use of didactic resources such as Non-Formal Teaching Spaces. These notes point to the lack of interest and excitement of students in Botany classes, since the excessive use of traditional methodologies is known, such as theoretical, descriptive classes and the use of technical terms, even leading to the so-called “Plant Blindness”. Faced with this problem, the main objective of this study was to elaborate a Didactic Sequence using the Sensory Garden, and its diversity of plant species that stimulate the various senses, as another non-formal teaching space capable of mitigating Botanical Blindness in Basic Education students. The research classified as Field, participant and qualitative, was applied to 34 students of Elementary School - Final Years, in two environments: a Formal Teaching Space and a Non-Formal Teaching Space (Sensory Garden). The development took place in three phases: a) diagnosis (identification of Botanical Blindness); b) Didactic Sequence application phase; and c) evaluation and data analysis phase. It was found that the participants have a certain degree of Plant Blindness, where about 85% highlight the presence of architectural objects and materials on the route drawn and only approximately 26% perceive the existence of plants on the route in question. The students, the target of this research, pointed out the video class resource as the most appropriate in understanding the term plant blindness. The main results of the application of the Didactic Sequence showed that 65% of the students involved in this research had never read a science communication text. About 80% of the students had never heard of the term Sensory Garden, however, with the practice developed in this space, around 62% of the students elaborated a definition consistent with their experience. Among the stimuli heightened by the Sensory Garden specimens, what stood out the most was the olfactory stimulus (45%) followed by the tactile one (37%). The game that is part of the Didactic Sequence was considered valid in the teaching and learning process of botany concepts by 50% of the participants. With regard to the most significant specimens, which are part of the Sensory Garden, pointed out in this research, boldo stood out, as a medicinal plant, cited by 22 students, and as a food plant, basil stood out, cited by 20 students. Among the activities that made up the Didactic Sequence, there was a highlight for the field class and the game (33% of the participants) and for the conversation circle about Botanical Blindness (25% of the participants). It was found that the elaboration and application of a Didactic Sequence inspired by the Sensory Garden of UFRN proved to be efficient in the understanding of botanical concepts, in addition to presenting itself as a space that favors practices of inclusion, of citizen formation and development of differentiated and significant pedagogical actions for the student.