O Fogo: abordando a vida e obra da brilhante Émilie Du Châtelet através de uma sequência didática.

Abstract

In the contemporary setting, the teaching of Physics has undergone several transformations, transitioning from a traditional teaching to one that allows for a variety of methodologies. These transformations are the result of a series of factors, including technological advancement and the increasing relation between these technologies and new teaching methodologies, permitting approaches and themes that are not usually discussed in basic education. From this perspective, this work aims to discuss the participation of women in the construction of science, highlighting a woman who left her mark on the 18th century but became invisible to the scientific society, Émilie Du Châtelet. This author worked on several projects, such as the translation and improvement of Isaac Newton's Principia, and the Dissertation Sur La Nature E T La Propagation Du Feu (Dissertation on the Nature and Propagation of Fire), which serves as the main guiding reference of this present work. Thus, we developed a didactic sequence consisting of a total of 06 lessons, through which it was possible to work not only on women’s participation in science, but also to introduce physical concepts such as the nature of fire and its propagation to the classroom from a different perspective, and incorporating technological tools like Canva, Mentimeter, Wordwall, and Google Forms, making learning more “enjoyable” for students, once they belong to the technology era. This didactic sequence was applied in an Escola Cidadã Integral, located in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba, for first-year high school students. Although they were not used to addressing gender topics in the basic education, the students were very participative. Nevertheless, from the data collected through the tools employed, we noticed that they “lack” approaches like these, as they were unable to name a female scientist without using the internet. Another crucial point we observed is the usage of these students’ prior physical concepts, they recognize some of these; however, they have a gigantic difficulty in expressing their considerations. Finally, the students evaluated the didactic sequence applied in the classroom positively, emphasizing the importance of working on gender in basic education and using tools with which they are familiar. Thus, we aim to further improve this study, either by increasing the participating audience for a better analysis of the results obtained or by seeking improvements for the technological tools used.