Sistema Regional de Información
en línea para Revistas Científicas de América Latina,
el Caribe, España y Portugal

The use of active methodologies in higher education has the potential to transform both the traditional roles of teacher and student, as well as the knowledge and skills worked on in the classroom. These changes are driven by the Bologna Process. At the same time, UNESCO demands an educational response to the urgent and pressing challenges our planet faces, promoting attitudes and behaviors that address the environmental situation holistically. This article materializes these educational trends by incorporating Integral Sustainability into teacher scientific training through an intervention inspired by Project-Based Learning pedagogy. The intervention was carried out with 69 students enrolled in a scientific course within the Primary Education Degree program. The steps of the intervention are described in detail and offered as a resource for teaching content related to chemistry education, specifically on fluids, procedures for measuring mass and volume of an object, and the separation of components of a mixture through filtration. Finally, the potential benefits derived from the implementation of the activity are integrated, according to the type of knowledge worked on, and related to the dimensions of Integral Sustainability.

This document presents the details of a teaching sheet designed to study and introduce the principles of Green Chemistry at the laboratory level. The proposed pedagogical strategy aims to be an innovative educational tool in the classroom, designed to support both teachers and students in the teaching and learning of the principles of this chemical philosophy through gamification. The proposal fosters a playful, engaging, and enjoyable experience, which facilitates the understanding of the criteria that define Green Chemistry. The central idea is based on a traditional game known as Comecocos, which promotes social interaction, fun, and entertainment. Its structure is inspired by the classic Pac-Man video game, adapted to expose the key elements of Green Chemistry, such as its principles, safety diamonds, and pictograms. This educational innovation proposal includes sequential activities in which university students, through the “Quimicocos” game mechanics, must solve challenges and problems, allowing them to explore and apply the principles of Green Chemistry within the context of each experimental practice related to their academic curriculum.

The deaf student’s educational basis lies in Libras, a linguistic system grounded in the visual-spatial modality. Despite being legally recognized for over 20 years, this language still lacks signs for scientific terms, including essential topics in chemistry teaching, making it difficult for deaf individuals to grasp this science. According to the literature, this terminological scarcity indicates the need for studies aimed at expanding the lexical repertoire of Libras. In this direction, this research aimed to produce signs for chemical terms in Libras to contribute to the proper construction of scientific concepts for deaf high school students at the Federal Institute of Bahia Campus Guanambi. Signs were created for ten terms: Base, Hydroxyl, Covalent Bond, Heterogeneous Mixture, Homogeneous Mixture, Oxidation, Reduction, Solution, Solute, and Solvent. The methodology was based on the assumptions of action research through the extension project “Chemistry by Hands.” The procedure used for the creation and validation of the sign-terms followed the approach proposed by Nascimento in 2016, with adaptations suggested by Pizano and colleagues in 2021. The created sign lexicon is virtually available on a YouTube channel @QuimicapelasMãos and on an Instagram profile @_quimicapelasmaos. It was concluded that the created and validated signs are of utmost importance for lexical expansion and vocabulary enhancement for language users, as they allow for advancement towards more meaningful learning and provide greater inclusion of deaf students in chemistry classes.

Teaching chemistry from an inclusive perspective aims to enable the learning process for all students, considering the diversity that exists in the classroom. A strategy that can assist in this perspective refers to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which guided the present study developed within the scope of initial teacher training for working with regular high school classes that include students with intellectual disabilities (ID). It is worth noting that there are few studies focused on the development and use of didactic resources for teaching and learning Chemistry for people with ID. Thus, the present work aims to report the process of developing and applying a tactile resource for teaching covalent bonding in high school, as well as reflecting on this experience for the initial training of Chemistry teachers.

Currently, beverages produced by the food industry use various ingredients to develop aroma and flavor. Bitters are substances used to develop these organoleptic properties. This paper presents a literature review on bitters and the use of the flavonoid Naringin with the aim of contextualizing the topic within the contents of Organic Chemistry. The chemical properties of Naringin related to the interaction with taste receptors in the human body are described. Furthermore, an experiment is presented where the presence of phenolic compounds in orange peel was qualitatively identified. Two samples were prepared from the orange peel: one through alcoholic maceration and the other using steam distillation, followed by characterization with a FeCl 1%  solution. This was done to demonstrate the presence of Naringin and perceive the bitter taste. In this way, it is intended that the academic community use this topic and experiment as a strategy in the teaching-learning process of Organic Chemistry, incorporating the concepts of polarity and isomerism. Finally, contextualizing in the classroom is important to motivate students and promote meaningful learning.

The chapter on units and measurements is practically indispensable in modern chemistry textbooks, and within it, the factor-label method has become synonymous with dimensional analysis. In this paper, we aim to investigate whether this necessity has been consistent throughout the history of general chemistry textbooks.  We will also demonstrate that equating the concept of dimensional analysis with the factor-label technique is incorrect, as an algebraic alternative exists. To determine the relationship of the units and measurements chapter with the textbook, we examined 140 books from the 1900s to the present day, finding that this chapter and its algorithms were gradually introduced during the transition from the 1950s to the 1970s, accompanied by other fundamental changes in the texts. Additionally, we present an alternative to the factor-label method, called algebraic substitution, which offers a greater diversity of techniques to expedite specific calculations. However, mastering all these techniques requires time and skill. This shows that the factor-label method is not the only option for performing dimensional analysis. Therefore, we must not confuse a technique or algorithm with the underlying philosophical foundation of dimensional analysis. 

In the present work a simple guided experimental activity is proposed to discover the process of bubble formation during boiling of a binary heterogeneous liquid mixture.

Contextualized and problematized experimentation can foster the participation of higher education chemistry students while enhancing their skills across various scientific topics. This study aimed to develop and apply a problematized experimental activity (PEA) based on the determination of the major inorganic composition of stingless bee (Meliponini) honey samples. For this purpose, students conducted two experiments: flame tests and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry. The teaching strategy enabled the mobilization of inorganic chemistry knowledge in the context of stingless bee honey in a collaborative and experimental manner. Through the use of capacity development indicators (CDIs), it was observed that students mobilized analytical skills (RM: 5.8–6.1), practical skills (RM: 5.2–6.0), and creative skills (RM: 5.1–6.1), showing positive progress throughout the PEA. The results indicate that contextualized PEA contributes to the initial training of chemistry undergraduates, promoting meaningful learning, the development of experimental competencies, and integration between theory and practice.

This article presents a proposal for a didactic sequence aimed at secondary school students. It proposes the exploration of natural acid-base indicators to characterize different aqueous solutions. Then, the students face a challenging and investigative scenario in which the addition of bleach to a cola drink results in a chemical reaction that involves color changes. Based on the developed protocol, the students will conduct experimental tests to determine if the cola drink can act as an acid-base indicator. To explain the results obtained, the students will conduct research, and their conclusions will lead to the introduction of the topic of oxidation-reduction reactions. This proposal aims to encourage the active participation of students in constructing their learning through practical and experimental activities, using everyday materials to promote their autonomy and, at the same time, stimulate scientific curiosity and the development of essential skills for 21st-century education. Additionally, the knowledge that this didactic approach contributes to a deeper understanding of fundamental Chemistry concepts, promoting more profound reflections on their relevance today.

In the present research, a didactic sequence was implemented based on the results found in a survey that demonstrated a frequent consumption of processed foods rich in sugars by the students and their need to learn about carbohydrates from a chemical and nutritional perspective. The didactic sequence had an initial phase, a development phase, and a synthesis phase, each which there were different activities (documentary research, analysis of didactic/scientific material, and practical work) and evaluation processes (diagnostic, formative, and summative). The EROA education taxonomy (Structure of de Observed Learning Outcome) was used to describe the learning outcomes. In the documentary research, it was shown that the students identified basic concepts about carbohydrates without feedback, and analyzing the chemistry of biomolecules, they recognized and grouped relevant information (uni-structural). In the experimental activity, progressive advance was observed, from the pre-structural to the extended abstract level, as the students related the combustion of processed foods rich in sugars to nutritional and health aspects, suggesting a complex integration of knowledge. Overall, the didactic sequence promoted collaborative work, resulting in positive interdependence and social interaction among the students.