TEACHING KINEMATICS USING PHET SIMULATORS AND PET BOTTLE ROCKET LAUNCHES

Abstract

This article reports the construction, application and evaluation of a Potentially Significant Teaching Unit (UEPS), developed in a professional master's thesis in Physics teaching, for the teaching of kinematics through the use of computer simulations PhET and workshops of construction and launch of PET bottle rockets. The research subjects were 32 students from a first-year Physics dependency class, composed of students from various technical courses integrated into high school at the XX. The intervention began with the application of a questionnaire on prior knowledge, followed by a lecture on the origin and evolution of rockets, which acted as a previous organizer. In all, there were 9 meetings that involved several computer simulations using the PhET Colorado simulator, in which the students, in groups, investigated various problem-situations with the teacher's mediation. In each meeting, there were progressive differentiations and integrative reconciliations, with discussions mediated by the teacher. In the fifth meeting, the students made the PET bottle rockets that were launched in the seventh and eight meetings. In the ninth meeting, the final evaluation and the opinion questionnaire were applied. The research showed a group with little participation, despite the works being all collaborative, maybe even because they are students from different courses and who did not know each other. Despite this, we noticed commitment and engagement in carrying out the activities. The reports during the meetings corroborate this perception and the opinion questionnaire confirmed the interest and satisfaction of the class in the didactic product used.