Jardim sensorial e a dimensão socioambiental no ensino de botânica

Abstract

The relationship between human beings and nature was, for millennia, considered inherent. During this process, ethnobotanical knowledge accompanied us for different purposes. However, we currently observe a progressive distancing from this relationship that was, in the past, intrinsically harmonious. As a reflection of this problem, basic education students face difficulties in learning concepts related to the teaching of botany, given the distance between society and nature. In addition, considering the teaching methodologies that are often inflexible and conservative in formal education, the difficulties in learning this subject are increased. In this sense, this work aimed to evaluate the potential of the Sensory Garden (SG) of the Federal University of Sergipe (UFS) as a non-formal educational space for teaching Kingdom Plantae content, and as a possibility to implement the socio-environmental dimension of the students who attended it. For that, we used qualitative-quantitative and exploratory research methodologies for data construction and analysis. In addition, we used an intentional non- probabilistic sampling, choosing students from the 2nd year of High School at the Colégio de Aplicação at UFS as the target audience, as we considered them representative for the elucidation of the issues addressed. The research participants answered a pre-questionnaire to assess their possible difficulties regarding botany subjects so that we could relate them to the object of this study. Then, they were taken to the university's SG to go through the experience of stimulating the senses articulating socio-environmental issues. After the visit, the students answered a post-questionnaire to evaluate their respective experiences. We found, in general, through the research data, difficulties with regard to specific terms in the botanical area. In addition, the pre-questionnaire answers show the distance of human beings from nature. As for the socio-environmental dimension, in the post-visit questionnaire we witnessed a considerable receptivity of the SG as a non-formal teaching space, as well as the ability to instill in the participants the importance of plant preservation. That said, when considering the scarcity of studies with SG, we guide the need for future studies that analyze other possible potentialities that reiterate its effectiveness as a teaching and learning tool, allowing the dissemination of these spaces.