Unidade de ensino potencialmente significativa: um estudo do sol

Abstract

This study investigated the potentials and limitations of a Potentially Meaningful Teaching Unit (PMTU) on the Sun, designed to promote meaningful learning among high school students. Grounded in David Ausubel’s Theory of Meaningful Learning, the study aimed to analyze how the teaching proposal could contribute to the construction of meaning in Astronomy education. The proposed PMTU addressed concepts related to the structure, composition, and physical phenomena associated with the Sun, organized through initial problematizations, exploratory activities, and conceptual applications, with a focus on the progressive construction of knowledge. The proposal was evaluated by Basic Education and Higher Education teachers through a questionnaire, considering aspects such as clarity, applicability, relevance of the theme, and theoretical-methodological coherence. The results indicated that most evaluators considered the PMTU coherent, well organized, aligned with the Theory of Meaningful Learning (TML), and appropriate for high school education, highlighting the relevance and depth of the topic, as well as the gradual progression of learning. They also recognized the adequacy of the content and the effective articulation between physical concepts and solar phenomena. Suggestions for improvement included adjustments to activity duration, deeper exploration of specific concepts, inclusion of visual resources, the use of concept maps as assessment tools, adaptations of reading materials, and the proposal of creative activities such as digital simulations and investigative experiments, aiming at greater clarity, methodological diversity, and accessibility. It is concluded that the PMTU has the potential to promote meaningful learning, aligned with TML, through the sequential organization of content, the valorization of prior knowledge, and planned pedagogical mediation, being relevant and viable for Astronomy teaching in high school, with improvements capable of strengthening its applicability and didactic effectiveness.