UNIDADE DE ENSINO POTENCIALMENTE SIGNIFICATIVA SOBRE ASTRONOMIA ESTELAR

Abstract

This Undergraduate Thesis presents the proposition and theoretical foundation of a Potentially Meaningful Teaching Unit (PMTU) on Stellar Astrophysics, aiming to provide a structured didactic model to promote meaningful learning for High School students. The research, of a qualitative and propositional nature, was developed based on a literature review that highlighted the fragmentation of knowledge and the lack of coherent teaching materials as pedagogical challenges in the field of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The theoretical framework of the proposal is anchored in David Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Learning and Marco Antônio Moreira's methodology for constructing PMYU. The PMTU is addressing essential concepts such as Apparent and Absolute Magnitude, Luminosity, Black Body Radiation, the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) Diagram, and Stellar Evolution. The didactic model is centered on conceptual progression, starting from the Introductory Problem Situation (“Why don't all stars shine the same?”) and using the Sun's evolutionary cycle as a point of integrative reconciliation to unify the physical properties of stars. The PMTU, designed for the 1st Year of High School and totaling 9 class hours, is aligned with the competencies and skills of the Brazilian National Common Curricular Base (BNCC). Thus, this work is a potential model for approaching Stellar Astrophysics in Basic Education and expanding the possibilities for teaching this field within the school context. A limitation of this work is its inapplicability in a classroom setting with data collection, as it is merely a proposal.

Keywords: Astrophysics; Meaningful Learning; Physics Teaching; Astronomy Teaching; Didactic Sequence.