From the application of active teaching methods to significant learning in Cellular and Molecular Biology: exploring possibilities with Problem Based Learning

Abstract

Cellular and Molecular Biology contents are discussed in high school integrated to discipline Biology. However, the success of these reflections in higher education is compromised by the unavailability or restriction of the application of active teaching methods, because the students have little familiarity with terms used and these contents are not yet fully discussed, aiming at significant learning. This Teaching Research was the result of a graduate teaching practice and explored the possibility that Problem-Based Learning (PBL) facilitates the significant acquisition of themes in Cellular and Molecular Biology by students from a public institution of higher education in northeastern Brazil. This graduate teaching practice provided to graduate student the opportunity to experience, learn and test innovative teaching and research techniques, and to build new skills. After PBL employment, students acquired competences that would probably not be developed in other common activities with the same effectiveness, and students with learning difficulties in Cellular and Molecular Biology contents or in relationships with their classmates have improved their performance and affectivity. Thus, we suggest the PBL as a pedagogical support to teaching practice, for contributing to making students active in the teaching-learning process and improve the perception of the concreteness of the studied knowledge.