Produção de cleasing oil a partir do óleo essencial das cascas de laranja-doce (Citrus sinensis): um recurso educacional para o ensino médio

Abstract

Thematic workshops have emerged as a methodological proposal that integrates contextualization and experimentation into the educational process, promoting meaningful learning and the development of critical thinking. Currently, the traditional teaching model compromises students' understanding, as it is based on passive and superficial learning. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effectiveness of learning the content of oxygenated organic functions in 3rd year high school classes, through a thematic workshop structured in three pedagogical moments, aimed at developing a dermo-cosmetic obtained from the essential oil extracted from the peel of the sweet orange. The workshop began with the application of a diagnostic questionnaire and a discussion about aesthetic standards and the consequent misuse of products that pose health risks. After the discussion, a lesson was given on the theoretical concepts of oxygenated organic functions. The second and third moments were followed by a practical lecture on the extraction of essential oil by hydrodistillation and the production of cleasing oil, respectively. The diagnostic questionnaire showed that 85.7% of 42 students had low or minimal knowledge of the content of organic functions. In addition, in the subjective and objective questions, the Finance students attributed less importance to the subject than the Aesthetics students. In the evaluation questionnaire, applied after the project had been carried out, the data collected indicated that the workshop allowed for more active participation, helped in understanding the content and contributed to attenuating the differences in perception of the relationship between chemistry and everyday life among the students on the vocational courses, since 84.3% rated their understanding of the relationship between organic functions and aesthetic functions as high or maximum level and 69.1% rated their knowledge of oxygenated organic functions as high or maximum level. It can be concluded that the methodological proposal chosen was effective and helped to make learning the content of oxygenated organic functions more meaningful and relevant.