Virtual experiments at the teaching practice of Physics teacher

Abstract

This study investigates the contributions of virtual experiments for teaching and training of Physics teachers. We aimed to the educational potential of virtual experiments from teaching practice and analyzing the contributions of these resources for the initial formation of Physics teachers. This is a qualitative research that was carried out through the analysis of the operating experience of virtual experiments, by using direct observation, field diaries and áudio recording as data collection technique. Data were transcribed and submitted to Textual Discursive Analysis that favored their categorization and interpretation. As a result of these movements, it was found that the empirical models and aprioristic are very persistent in the pedagogical mind of the teachers, even among those who are in initial formation. We found that while recognizing the constructivist model as an ideal approach to work with virtual experiments, the objective conditions of teaching and the pedagogical ideas of these teachers in training, determined that the pedagogical practices with virtual experiments to focus around demonstrations whose main functions are arouse the curiosity of students, motivate them, contextualize the analyzed content and illustrate phenomena that were previously exposed by the teacher. It was also observed that the moderator plays a central role in problematic. Because of this approach, although by the limitations imposed by the precariousness of the public system of education, the subjects were able to expand their conceptions about science and its development.