O uso do simulador Vascak no ensino do Ciclo de Carnot

Abstract

Using platforms to teach physics is a pedagogical proposal that has often been discussed by teachers, since it is a technological resource that tends to improve student learning, causing a major change in the teaching-learning process. Faced with the challenges faced by many teachers in minimizing students' difficulties in assimilating physics content, alternatives have been sought to help teach the subject. One way of improving learning is through the use of virtual laboratories, including the Vascak simulation platform, which can be a great ally for teachers in the classroom. Therefore, using simulation platforms in physics can be a good option for improving students' cognitive development. This work used a simulation platform with the aim of creating an educational product, presenting a guide to using the Vascak simulator, which covers the physics topic of the Carnot Cycle. The content was worked on in accordance with the educational product "The Use of the Vascak Simulator in Physics Teaching (Carnot Cycle)" and, during the lessons, the students studied the theoretical concepts of the content and then used the simulation platform. In order to obtain a final analysis of the research, the questionnaire answered by the students during the simulation classes was used to evaluate the didactic intervention in terms of the content learned, as well as the students' perception of the use of the simulator in the classroom. Based on the Meaningful Learning Theory, in which students are able to explain a concept in their own words, the results obtained using the Vascak simulation platform were positive. The students' learning progress was evident, as they expressed the concepts they had learned by integrating their previous knowledge with the new, attributing meaning to learning and to the simulation tool. In this way, the use of this resource in physics teaching favors student learning.