Banca de DEFESA: MONICA SILVEIRA

CRITICAL THOUGHT OF TECHNICAL COURSE STUDENTS ON CTS RELATIONSHIPS IN ALTERNATE CURRENT EDUCATION

Critical Thinking (CT). Science, Technology and Society (STS).
Didactic Sequence (DS). Technical Course. Alternating Current (AC).

Teaching with a focus on Science, Technology and Society (STS) can be
employed in the perspective of modifying individual values, stimulating
autonomy and critical thinking (BARBOSA; BAZZO, 2014), with critical thinking
(CT) representing deep analysis, questioning, discussion of problems and
search for suitable solutions (CARRAHER, 1999; LIPMAN, 2003). The research
proposes the application of the STS approach from an alternating current
content to mobilize the critical thinking of students of technical course. In order
to reach this goal, a didactic sequence (DS) was developed, considering the
chain of activities around a problem situation (GUIMARÃES; GIORDAN, 2013)
that promote understanding of STS relations and CT development. The analysis
of the perceptions about the STS relations and the CT level of the students was
made through two questionnaires applied before and after the DS, elaborated
from news published on the internet with the option of choosing opinions about
them. The selected opinions and justifications for the choice formed the
database for the analysis of STS categories and CT levels. Most DS activities
were based on a problem situation (simulated case) which is considered by
Freire (2007) as a typical activity of the STS approach and education for the
expansion of critical thinking. The activities involved discussion of video clips,
expository class, group discussion, individual research and debate. It was
possible to perceive that the activities had little influence in the students'
perception about the STS relations. However, regarding the level of critical
thinking, it was possible to perceive a timid but positive change. The results
indicate that the application of a DS with a STS approach can improve the
students' critical thinking level.