O ensino de Biotecnologia na UFAM, campus Humaitá-AM

Abstract

In the 1970s, a new type of production was established as a result of technological contributions, Biotechnology. Currently, it is widespread in large companies / industries, mainly related to the production of food and drugs. Biotechnology has lasted approximately 12 thousand years, since the use of organisms, as a conventional practice, in antiquity, or as Science after the significant contributions arising from the industrial revolution and the advancement of technology. In view of this, the following question was considered: what is the reason for the delay in bringing Biotechnology closer to the content taught in undergraduate courses that are linked to the large area of Natural Sciences? This research aimed to analyze from the perspective of Historical and Dialectical Materialism how Biotechnology receives value by approaching the contents in a dual degree course in Natural Sciences Biology / Chemistry. We sought to assess the students' perception of Biotechnology teaching and understand how this Science can contribute to the development of critical thinking among students in the face of problems that affect humanity. This research was developed at the Institute of Education, Agriculture and Environment (IEAA) Vale do Rio Madeira Campus of the Federal University of Amazonas (UFAM) located in the city of Humaitá- AM. Interviewed, periodized and non-periodized students who fulfilled a minimum of 60% of the total workload in the Bachelor of Science: Biology and Chemistry course, which totaled 18 students. Data collection was performed by bibliographic research and document analysis. And also by extensive direct observation, which includes the application of a questionnaire. Regarding the teaching of Biotechnology in Brazil, it was found that very little is discussed about its teaching, since of the works of dissertations and theses only 9.0% of the 210 researches analyzed corresponded to the descriptors teaching and perception of Biotechnology. This scenario worsens when scientific articles are taken into account, since of the 290 articles analyzed, 3.4% were related to the same descriptors mentioned above. It was also possible to note that the works researched between 2000 and 2019 stand out for presenting results of applied experimental research, and of opinion, however, the importance of the teaching-learning process of Biotechnology in teacher training is not discussed. The results lead us to think that this situation may be due to the very small approach to the contents of Biotechnology in teaching spaces. Which led us to conclude that it is necessary to improve the approaches to Biotechnology content in the Bachelor of Science: Biology and Chemistry course at IEAA / UFAM, because, although 88.9% of the students stated that they know what Biotechnology is, when analyzing his statements, there was insufficient content to actually express an adequate understanding of what Biotechnology is. Therefore, it is necessary to have a theoretical and practical teaching of Biotechnology in teacher training, considering its technological dimension at different levels of basic education, but specifically in higher education, in which teachers are trained with the mission of contribute to changes in the reality of the social being in a relationship of knowledge and doing of Science and Technology.