A relevância dos experimentos e simuladores no ensino de Física: uma abordagem prática para o ensino de calorimetria e termometria

Abstract

This research highlights the importance of integrating experimental activities and simulators, such as the digital platform “Vascak,” in Physics classes to overcome the difficulties students face in understanding the concepts of this subject. It is an applied research with a quantitative and qualitative approach, aimed at investigating the contributions of using experimental methods and simulators in Physics classes in Basic Education. For this purpose, experimental activity guides were developed, covering calorimetry and thermometry, and were applied to 43 students from two 9th-grade classes at Colégio Batista, a private school in Palmas, TO. Given the learning difficulties in Physics, this study opted for methodologies that combined practice with everyday experiences, through activities involving experiments and simulations. To understand students' opinions, questionnaires were administered before and after the activities. As a result, we found that the use of low-cost experiments and the simulators from the Vascak platform played a fundamental role in enhancing the teaching and learning process and fostering student interaction. Furthermore, many of the students were able to apply the concepts discussed in the classroom to school solutions and even in household contexts, demonstrating meaningful learning and promoting scientific thinking. The integration of practical experiments and computer simulations not only facilitated the understanding of complex concepts but also sparked noticeable enthusiasm among the students, who became more curious and engaged.