The solar oven as a bridge between physics and comfort in building

Abstract

The present work is a result of an interdisciplinary practice between physics and comfort in buildings for second grade students of High-school-integrated to Vocational Training in Building Construction. With the theoretical background of meaningful learning, critical meaningful learning, conceptual fields and interdisciplinarity, the task of building a low cost material solar oven was assigned to the students. Hence, eight situations were given to students in order to guide them to select the best materials. These situations were answered, first by the students, from previous research and then, sistematized in class. As a result, indications of meaningful learning and/or critical meaningful learning of the concepts covered such as heat propagation and closures (opaque and transparent) were obtained. During the explanation about oven construction, the students expressed the learned knowledge in a broad way, pointing out the interrelations with thermal comfort in buildings.