Uma abordagem contextualizada e diferenciada do tema bioetanol nas aulas de química do ensino médio.

Abstract

One of the biggest challenges for teaching high-school level chemistry is to contextualize the school knowledge to the everyday life of the students. Often, the absence of this bond results in apathy, alienation and increases the separation between students and teachers. To minimize these issues, the use of different teaching methodologies, such as the introduction of experiments and technological resources in the classroom, is found to play an important role in the student learning process by stimulating curiosity and overall learning. An alternative to integrate these strategies is to choose and discuss a topic of socioeconomic and environmental relevance, such as the biofuel ethanol, whose consumption in our country and the world has been growing since the advent of bi-fuel (flexible-fuel) cars. Furthermore, Brazil has technology for producing ethanol from sugar cane, which is a renewable energy source. Thus, the present study aims to develop educational materials to support high-school chemistry teachers who decide to discuss the alcohol-based fuel technologies in their classroom. These interdisciplinary and contextualized lessons, aided by experimental and interactive technologies, are more attractive to young people and may bring awareness to the ubiquitous use of applied science in our daily lives.