Laboratório vivo agroecológico para o ensino de ecologia: protagonismo e ensino por investigação na Escola Cidadã Integral Professor Olívio Pinto - João Pessoa/PB

Abstract

In a context where people are increasingly disconnected from nature due to technological advances and the intensive exploitation of the environment, the teaching of Ecology becomes essential for the formation of critical citizens committed to socio-environmental sustainability. However, traditional didactic resources, such as textbooks, still show gaps regarding ecological content and often lack interdisciplinarity and meaningful practices. In this light, this study evaluated the use of the Agroecological Living Laboratory, combined with Inquiry-Based Learning, as a pedagogical tool for teaching Ecology in high school. This qualitative and quantitative research, grounded in the theory of meaningful learning and conducted through the methodological approach of action research, was carried out at the ECIT Professor Olívio Pinto, in João Pessoa – PB, within the elective subject "Eletiva", involving 35 high school students between August and December 2024. The proposal was implemented through an Inquiry-Based Teaching Sequence (IBTS), addressing content related to ecology, agroecology, and sustainability. The results indicated that the Agroecological Living Laboratory fostered meaningful learning, stimulated student autonomy, and supported the development of essential

scientific competencies, such as argumentative reasoning, investigative posture, and systemic- critical thinking. Despite these advances, some challenges emerged, such as the need for more

attentive mediation due to the number of students, partial absence of some participants in project stages due to external factors, and insufficient time for in-depth exploration of certain topics. For future interventions, it is recommended to extend the time allocated to the didactic sequence and to strengthen interdisciplinarity. At the end of the study, a Didactic Guide based on the IBTS was developed, systematizing the steps, strategies, and resources used, enabling its replication and adaptation in different educational contexts.