As ideias dos educandos em aulas de biologia no ensino médio acerca de criacionismo e evolucionismo

Abstract

The teaching of evolution is an indispensable part of the discipline of Biology in High School. Its importance in integrating the biological knowledge and to clarify the origin of the species that have appeared and will appear in the planet is notorious. Nevertheless, students' learning about the subject can be compromised in different ways. The creationist ideas derived from the Brazilian religious culture demonstrate an interface with the Theory of Evolution. A large part of the Brazilian population has some religion with creationist doctrine. So, many students in high school has with them ideas that come from this source. The objective of the work was to explore what these ideas were and their relationship with the discipline of biology. From these ideas, the students will understand the content of the discipline, after the period of conflict between prior knowledge and new knowledge. It was also intended to review an activity that search help in learning Evolution. There were two approaches: observation of a structured debate by the professor of the discipline of Biology at the Liceu de Messejana and interviews with a focus group promoted by the author. The students tell that the talk about this theme important for the understanding. Several ideas could be drawn from these moments, several of them merging science and religion, others making extreme counterpoints. Such ideas emanated from two foundations: irreducible complexity and belief in evolution to be treated as a matter of faith. The science does not allow us to draw conclusions from the lack of information, which supports the thought of irreducible complexity; And its conclusions are based on observable tests and evidences, as well as being amenable to changes with new findings, different than a religious faith requires. Knowing that these ideas are present in the learners gives the educator the opportunity to take advantage of them, making the dialogue serve to facilitate the learning of science and biology. This result arises from knowing the class profile, activities planning and mediation that are teacher’s responsibilities.