Traços evolutivos: o uso de ilustrações como recurso didático para o ensino dialógico de evolução é possível?

Abstract

Understanding a large portion of biological theories and concepts fundamentally depends on comprehending biological evolution. When the teaching of this subject incorporates artistic elements, an interaction between art and curriculum is established, promoting knowledgeretention while stimulating students' creativity and critical thinking. In this context, the present study aimed to enhance the understanding of the Theory of Evolution through an interdisciplinary methodology integrating Science and Art, using playfulness and dialogue as pedagogical tools to strengthen learning and foster students' critical thinking. The researchwas conducted with 9th-grade classes at Joaquim Francisco de Sousa Filho Municipal School, in Fortaleza, during the author's participation in the Institutional Program for Teaching Initiation Scholarships (PIBID). The methodology was organized into four stages: a literature review on biological evolution, the creation of original illustrated cards, the implementation of classroom activities, and a qualitative evaluation of the results. Five illustrated cards were produced, addressing the themes of Charles Darwin, speciation, natural selection, gradual evolution, and artificial selection. The activities were carried out in two distinct sessions using dialogical and expository-dialogical approaches, with analysis of students' responses, questions, reflections, and behaviors. The results revealed that students possessed limited prior knowledge and, in some cases, misconceptions regarding evolutionary concepts. However, the use of visual resources combined with dialogue encouraged participation,curiosity, and the collective construction of knowledge. Students demonstrated progress in their understanding of concepts such as adaptation, heredity, natural selection, sexual selection, aposematism, common ancestry, fossil evidence, and artificial selection. They alsoshowed an increased ability to relate scientific knowledge to everyday life. It was concluded that the integration of Art and Science constituted an effective strategy for teaching biological evolution, helping to overcome practices based on rote memorization and promoting more meaningful, reflective, and critical learning, as well as a better understanding of the dynamic and constructed nature of scientific knowledge.