Simulations and modeling of natural phenomena in physics teaching

• Grant number: 16/23431-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2017
• End date: May 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Education - Educational Teaching and Learning
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Roberto Plaza Teixeira
• Grantee: Rafael Brock Domingos
• Host Institution: Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de São Paulo (IFSP). Campus Caraguatatuba. Caraguatatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project aims to research and analyze the use of free software simulations of natural phenomena in the teaching of topics and contents related to basic physics, present in the national curriculum of secondary schools, as well as in teaching of some physics disciplines of different courses in the Campus of Caraguatatuba of the Federal Institute of São Paulo (IFSP). The free software that will be used to assist in the teaching of physics will aim to work important concepts present in the study of physics, in an interdisciplinary and contextualized way. In this way, educational proposals will be elaborated for scientific divulgation, having as one of the foundations the use of computer programs of easy access, in order to encourage the students of basic education to the studies of physics and of astrophysics. The use of computer software for modeling physical phenomena (such as PhET Interactive Simulations, Modellus, Tracker, as well as many others) will have as main objective to present the contents of physics in a more playful way from the perspective of a student, who increasingly is connected technologically, analyzing how it is possible to learn science by interacting with educational software. (AU)