A abordagem steam para desenvolvimento de habilidades socioemocionais em estudantes com altas habilidades

Abstract

The development of socio-emotional skills is necessary to ensure the comprehensive education of individuals, providing a foundation for forming critical and reflective citizens. In this context, the STEAM approach, an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics, involves interdisciplinary work between these areas of knowledge. When used in conjunction with the active methodology Project-Based Approach (ABPROJ), the STEAM practice encourages students to engage in projects where they are motivated to find solutions to complex real-world problems. In this process, mediated by the teacher, students develop cognitive, practical, and also socio-emotional skills. Individuals with high abilities may struggle to develop socio-emotional skills, which can lead to a potential gap between gifted students and regular schools. Addressing the needs of this audience, the Talento Metrópole Program, an initiative of the Digital Metropolis Institute (IMD) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), offers training for students with High Abilities/Giftedness in Information Technology (IT). Given this, the research question of this study is: "How can the use of the STEAM approach, through project development, help high-ability students in Basic Education develop socio-emotional skills?" To answer this question, the general objective was defined as: To analyze an investigative and creative practice, using the STEAM approach, for the development of socio-emotional skills with students from the Talento Metrópole Program. The specific objectives were: i) To investigate socio-emotional skills that can be explored through the STEAM approach; ii) To develop an investigative and creative project with a group of students from the Talento Metrópole program; and iii) To identify the socio-emotional skills developed by students with high abilities/giftedness (HA/G) during the practice; iv) To produce a teaching guide to instruct teachers on the STEAM approach with high-ability students for the development of socio-emotional skills. The research was conducted with a focus on a qualitative approach, grounded in elements of action research. It was carried out within the context of the Talento Metrópole program, in a class aimed at ten Basic Education students with HA/G. Data were generated through participant observation of the program’s classes, photographic and written records of the project’s execution, and focus groups. For the practice, two groups were formed to develop projects on the theme of “Accessibility.” One group worked on creating a shoe for blind people with a sensor to indicate obstacles, and the other developed a low-cost Braille printer. As a technical product of this Professional Master's study, in addition to the planned and implemented practice, a teaching guide was prepared aimed at teachers, to provide a reference for using the STEAM approach in the classroom with HA/G students. The results show that the socio-emotional skills of critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, connectivity, communication, and citizenship were widely mobilized during the STEAM practice for HA/G students, contributing to the comprehensive education of these students as critical, reflective, and creative citizens. Moreover, the ten general competencies required by the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) were addressed at each stage of project development, indicating the relevance of this practice in an inclusive teaching and learning context.