A construção de uma Unidade de Ensino Potencialmente Significativa (UEPS) para ensinar relatividade utilizando animações e o game A slower speed of light

Abstract

This present work aims to build a Teaching and Learning Sequence (TLS) proposed by Marco. A. Moreira , based on David Ausubel's Meaningful Learning Theory. The TLS aims to lead to a meaningful conceptual learning of Einstein's Special Relativity theory by suppressing the excessive calculus involving it. One of its greatest achievements is the use of the educational game - a slower speed of light and animations. The topics of the unit content are time dilation, length contraction, invariance of the speed of light, the relativity of simultaneity, spotlight effect and Terrell effect. The TLS was able to promote differentiated classes, providing evidences of conceptual evolution - stimulating and making it possible the teaching of modern and contemporary physics at this level. The TLS developed for this study was applied in two classes in a State high school in Itapira - SP and the results were analyzed so that the teaching unit efficiency could be evaluated. At the end of this work an instructional product, which is the TLS itself, is presented.