Saberes populares na produção de derivados da mandioca como ferramentas para o ensino de conceitos científicos

Abstract

The dawning of science and the emergence of new technologies from the beginning of the last century gave rise in the world to an overvaluation of scientific thinking in relation to other forms of understanding reality; thus, much knowledge were being cast aside or subjugated to the evaluation of "right" or "wrong" by the "truth-keepers." In recent years this most dogmatic view has been overlooked, and much progress has been made in seeking connections between what one learns in academies and what one knows empirically. In this aspect, the school has among its various functions the task of questioning exclusionary paradigms and when necessary to seek new elements that make the teaching and learning processes more broad and meaningful. Thus, this research aims to investigate how the popular knowledge present in the production of cassava derivatives, especially flour, can serve as tools for the teaching of scientific concepts, particularly of chemistry, in order to contribute to the construction of a society that values its local culture more and has greater respect for the past generations. Through a qualitative approach that approximates the ethnographic characteristics, a brief theoretical survey was initially carried out in which information was sought about what has been the object of study of research on the subject and also to know other relevant aspects of it. Field visits were also carried out in which two family farms producing cassava flour were interviewed in order to know the process of obtaining cassava flour and to perceive through the lines and practices of them possible connections between the popular knowledge and the students. Using the analysis of content according to Bardin (2011) identified through these lines and practical possibilities of dialogue between knowledge with great potential for teaching key concepts such as: combustion; mixtures; separation processes of mixtures; organic and inorganic substances; hydrolysis; toxicity etc. It is important to emphasize that there is still a lot of work to be done to build a more egalitarian and just school; however, the search for new teaching approaches that value local identity, the knowledge and the language of the people is an important step to be taken; and without doubt, positive