Addressing Aspects of Neurotransmitters and Amines through Learning Stations: A Didactic Unit for the Study of Amines in High School.
Chemistry teaching; Station Rotation; Meaningful learning; Emotions; Student protagonism
This research aimed to develop a didactic unit (DU) that integrates the study of amines and neurotransmitters with the functioning of neurons, relating them to human emotions. The proposal was structured as a Didactic Unit implemented with third-year high school students from a public school, articulating conceptual, procedural, and attitudinal content through collaborative and contextualized activities. This qualitative and interpretative study was grounded in the principles of Freirean pedagogy and in the theoretical perspectives of meaningful learning (Ausubel, 1982) and active methodologies (Moran, 2015; Bacich, 2016). Data collection involved multiple instruments that made it possible to observe the application and articulation of concepts, student protagonism, and the integration between science and emotions. The analysis followed the content analysis approach proposed by Bardin (2011). The results indicate that the adopted methodology enhanced both the conceptual understanding of organic functions and the relationships between molecular structure and function, as well as the engagement and autonomy of students in the learning process. Furthermore, incorporating affective and emotional dimensions into the activities proved essential for building an environment of trust, curiosity, and belonging, reinforcing the humanizing role of science education. It is concluded that the Station Rotation methodology, when associated with interdisciplinary themes and the teacher’s sensitive mediation, constitutes a powerful strategy to bring Chemistry closer to students’ realities, promoting cognitive and socio-emotional learning in line with the principles of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC, Brazil, 2018) and Freire’s (2005) emancipatory education.