Astronomia e astronáutica como instrumentos de motivação no ensino e aprendizado de física

Abstract

This work aims to study the use of the Brazilian Astronomy and Astronautics Olympiad (OBA) as a motivating element to stimulate students' interest in the study of physics content covered in basic education. For this purpose, an Astronomy and Astronautics Club was created with the aim of encouraging study and research on topics such as the force of gravitational attraction, the principle of inertia and even subjects of modern physics and thermodynamics. The activities were organized with the help of digital tools, such as the Google Classroom platform and the Discord application. The structuring of the virtual environment was inspired by the problembased learning methodology (Problem Based Learning – PBL). The Astronomy and Astronautics Club meetings took place virtually, through synchronous meetings on the Discord platform, and in person, during school hours, to build and launch a solid propellant rocket. Materials for discussion were made available in the form of videos, texts, slides and websites in a Google Classroom room, created for this purpose. In synchronous meetings, students were encouraged to discuss previously posted material, based on a problem question. In some meetings, students were also encouraged to answer questions about the physics content covered, following the guidelines of the peer instruction methodology. In addition, a rocket launch simulation program was made available, in which the student could build and launch rockets virtually. In the last stage of the proposal, students were encouraged to build real rocket prototypes and launch them. We understand that the application of this strategy was hampered by the fact that it occurred during the period in which students were emerging from social isolation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, we had some limitations, but we believe that the proposal can be improved and adapted for future implementations.