Validation of an educational application as a resource for teaching and learning paleontology in high school.

Abstract

Educational applications have proven to be effective tools in teaching Biology, and can also facilitate the study of fossils. This article aims to investigate the effectiveness of using the PaleonApp application, when compared and combined with traditional teaching, in promoting meaningful learning in Paleontology. The PaleonApp software was developed using the MIT App Inventor platform and integrated into a teaching sequence based on the Potentially Meaningful Teaching Unit proposal by Moreira (2011), being applied to two groups of high school students, designated as group ET (n = 73) and group TE (n = 69). The research presents a qualitative-quantitative approach, in which participants answered three semi-structured questionnaires (Q1, Q2, and Q3), applied at different times throughout the teaching sequence. The analysis of the results, which included answers to multiple-choice questions and the evaluation of concept maps, indicated that the use of PaleonApp in the classroom, as well as the order of its use, enhanced learning compared to the traditional presentation of the content. It was observed that the tool provided students with a more solid understanding of the paleofauna of northwestern Ceará and basic notions about fossils. It is concluded that the pedagogical use of digital technologies as educational tools favors the educational process, improving teaching and learning, as well as arousing curiosity and stimulating the active participation of students.