Chemistry Clubs as Pedagogical Strategies: Potentializing Learning and Teaching in a Brazilian High School

Abstract

High School Science clubs have been considered spaces of collaborative learning where curiosity and the investigative spirit are stimulated to understand students' reality. They are non-formal educational spaces that are strategically effective in the process of scientific initiation in High School. Firstly, the proposal was to start the Chemistry club at the Instituto Federal do Triângulo Mineiro-Campus Uberlândia Centro                       (IFTM-UDICENTRO), in Uberlândia, MG, Brazil. Secondly, it aimed to potentialize chemistry learning. The IFTM-UDICENTRO Chemistry club, whose meetings take place once a week in the afternoon, is monitored by two teaching assistants who are High School sophomores. Both improve learning on themes that result from needs, doubts, and curiosity brought up by freshmen who are members of the Chemistry club. In meetings held by the club, students ask teaching assistants questions about content taught by their chemistry teacher in traditional classes and use the opportunity to strengthen learning. The teaching assistants created an Instagram account for the club and have posted issues related to Chemistry every Wednesday. Instagram was an excellent way to bring students close to Chemistry since its posts are introduced with simple and accessible language. In short, this case study (CS) of a Brazilian Chemistry club showed that this pedagogical proposal could develop students' skills and help them learn scientific concepts and contents.