LEARNING ATOMIC MODELS: CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIALECTIC THINKING IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT
Chemistry Education; Atomic Models; Problem-Based Teaching;Dialectics; Scientific Thinking.
This study aims to design, implement, and evaluate a didactic guide for teaching atomic models in Brazilian middle school (Ensino Fundamental), grounded in M. I. Majmutov’s Problem-Based Teaching and the historical-dialectical approach to science. The research is based on the understanding that scientific models are human constructs that evolve through internal contradictions and that teaching these models through problem situations can foster students’ critical and theoretical thinking. The methodology adopted is qualitative and exploratory, with the proposal
applied to a class in a Chemistry Teacher Education program. The theoretical framework is anchored in historical-critical pedagogy, historical-cultural psychology, and dialectical materialist logic, drawing on authors such as Engels, Galperin, Torres, Llantada, and Majmutov. The results indicate that the proposal enables more meaningful learning by promoting students’ historical and epistemological understanding of atomic models and enhancing their conceptual autonomy. The resulting educational product is a pedagogical support guide that assists teachers in developing dialectical and investigative activities, fostering scientific literacy and conceptual thinking.