Improving Biology Teaching in Mozambique
Improving Biology Teaching in Mozambique
1. Introduction
Biology is the science of life! Life with all its diversity and complexity. Starting with
difficulty in defining the concept of life, teaching Biology, and achieving a level of learning
Satisfactory is not always easy. Therefore, it is extremely important to develop strategies.
of Teaching and Learning in Biology aimed at uncovering and better understanding a question
so essential is our life, the life of other living beings and finally, the constant and
dynamic interaction existing between them (MOREIRA et al).
According to Freitas (2009), teaching strategies are the way to organize didactic knowledge.
presenting various techniques and resources that enable the achievement of the proposed objectives
for the activity. It means thinking and using the most appropriate resources to not only energize the
classes, but mainly to make the necessary connections between the transmitted knowledge and its sedimentation
in the student's repertoire.
In the extreme south of Mozambique, on an area of 5387 km2what constitutes the District of
Matutuíne has only one secondary school fed by a universe of 74 schools.
primary being one of the poorest districts in the country whose population has suffered a lot
influence of neighboring countries (South Africa and Swaziland) reducing their interest in
education. The low graduation rate in Basic Education where the student's book is from
free distribution and the students study living in their homes and think about studying in a regime
of hospitalization or living in a relatives' home, buying books on the many subjects that
each of the classes of general secondary education arouses interest in the Process of
Teaching/Learning of that part of the country.
It concerns the Mabilibili Secondary School located in the village of the same name where it is
they highlight issues of lack of libraries, laboratories, teacher manuals, and student books,
among other teaching materials in a country where education is based on competencies.
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1.2. Problem
In the absence of libraries, laboratories, teacher manuals, and student books, among other materials
didactic not only in Matutuíne but almost throughout the country. The school book for teaching
secondary is for sale for a total of between 12, 13 to 14 subjects from the respective classes of
1o ciclo e 10 disciplinas nas classes do 2ocycle. Biology is a subject with many names,
concepts, practices and figures that in the absence of concrete material the teacher would be forced to
drawing on the board but the workload becomes quite reduced for graphic recording, on the other hand
the very teacher, considering himself clumsy at drawing, ends up not drawing or if
the drawing of the figure doesn't come out well on the board and then it's the student who copies it poorly each time. The little
interest in education that is observed in the communities of the Matutuíne District aggravated by
low living conditions, especially financial, and the long distances that students travel
on the way to and from school.
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It's sad to admit that there are students who complete General Secondary Education without having the notion of
three-dimensionality of the animal or plant cell among other figures that are part of Biology
because they have never seen their virtual image, many times students are forced to memorize the
biological concepts without having to know in essence why the teacher just dictates them
notes without drawing figures because not drawing or the few times he/she draws the
figure is poorly represented, the student in turn memorizes the position of the arrows in the legend and if in the
Biology classes often become boring, both for students because of their
dificuldades de percepção assim como para os próprios professores pela insuficiência de meios
concreters and the discomfort of students during the class.
It's thinking about this set of elements that I intend to contribute with my skills in the
improvement of Biology classes by trying to reduce the degree of abstraction of the material and make them
more fun and perceptible by developing Didactic Models for the only Secondary School of
District that greatly contributed to my education at this academic level.
[Link] Questions
What is the state of mind of students and teachers at Mabilibili Secondary School?
with the preparation and use of Didactic Models in Biology classes?
What is the trend of the quarterly educational utilization of the subject of Biology?
the year in which Didactic Models are developed and used in relation to the same period in
last three academic years at Mabilibili Secondary School?
The Didactic Models developed by the Author are in accordance with the context.
planned?
What is the age of the students who best understand the contents of Biology with the use of
Didactic Models in the Mabilibili Secondary School?
Who are the students most benefited by the use of Didactic Models among the most
the closest and the farthest from the school?
[Link]
H1The development and use of Didactic Models in the Mabilibili Secondary School
awaken interest in Biology classes among teachers and students.
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H0The development and use of Didactic Models at Mabilibili Secondary School does not
awaken interest in Biology classes for teachers and students.
H0– With the development and use of Didactic Models for Biology classes in the School
Mabilibili Secondary School, the quarterly pedagogical performance of the year under study
surpasses that of the same period in the last three years.
H0 With the development and use of Didactic Models for Biology classes in the School
Mabilibili Secondary, the quarterly pedagogical assessment of the year being studied does not
surpasses that of the same period in the last three years.
H1The Didactic Models developed by the author are in accordance with the contents
predestined.
H0The didactic models developed by the author do not align with the content.
predestined.
H1The older students at Mabilibili Secondary School are the most
influenced by the use of Didactic Models in the perception of Biology content.
H0The older students at Mabilibili Secondary School are not the
but more influenced by the use of Didactic Models in the perception of the contents of
Biology.
H1Students who live near the school improve their learning with the use of
Didactic Models in relation to those who live further away.
H2The students who live near the school do not improve their learning with the use.
of Didactic Models in relation to those who live further away.
[Link]
100 poster boards in A1 size or another larger size if possible;
20 boxes of colored pencils (oil-based), preferably 12 pencils in each;
5 boxes of graphite pencils;
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[Link]
Limits
West - Districts of Namaacha and Boane and with the Kingdom of Eswatini.
It has a surface area of 5387 km2is a population of 35,161 inhabitants according to the
General Population Census of 1997 and estimated at about 52,703 inhabitants in 2005
with a population density of 10 inhabitants/km2according to the District Profile (MAE, 2005).
It is connected to the Cahora Bassa Hydroelectric network and has a poor network of
water supply.
Maputaland-Pondoland extends from the mouth of the Limpopo River to the Great River in Africa.
South, proposed within the framework of the Ramsar convention, being the only area located in the territory.
national in a total of 84 conservation areas at the continental level of Africa (MAE, 2005). It is
within this territory is the Maputo Special Reserve with about 70,000
hectares in which a variety of species of animals occur including 62 species of mammals,
30 amphibians, 43 reptiles and 337 species of birds.
According to MAE (2005), the varied set of ecosystems present in this area,
associated with the high biodiversity of the district, scenic beauty, and its state of conservation,
relatively unchanged, provides a high aesthetic value to the landscape, being therefore, its
high tourism potential.
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According to FDC/FCEAR (2006), the district of Matutuíne has as its main activity
agriculture, on which the sustenance of the majority of its population depends. The rice cultivation
represents the greatest potential in terms of contribution to the livelihood and economy of the district
in an estimated area of 16,000 hectares, has the potential to develop on a large scale in the
localities of Salamanga and Tinonganine (Administrative Post of Bela Vista), mainly
in the villages of Matsolo, Makassane, Massohane, Caiado, Mudada, Santaca, and Machia; and, in the
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lakes and humid places located in the Zitundo Administrative Post. Alongside rice, and
Under the same conditions, the district has enormous potential to produce corn in the Posts.
Administrative offices of Zitundo, Catuane, Bela Vista, and Catembe Nsime also produce vegetables.
various like the example of cabbage, tomato, onion, kale, lettuce, beans, among others
especially on the banks of the Maputo River and others that cross the district.
The Machangulo Administrative Post is an exception in the significant production of corn.
the main activity and income is fishing. This administrative post has less potential for
agricultural production because it has poor soils. However, the site has favorable conditions for
a produção da cultura de mandioca.
The practice of burning is very widespread in the district of Matutuíne and is observed in most
the places. By escaping the control of its promoters, this practice constitutes one of the biggest and
frequent problems cited by the population as limiting productivity for the
self-sustenance. Additionally, it has generated conflicts between families.
To carry out this research, we will start with the first stage of the entire research.
scientist conducting Exploratory Research with the aim of initial characterization of the problem,
its classification and definition. In this modality, it will also follow Experimental Research
with the aim of creating conditions to interfere in the emergence or modification of facts,
to be able to explain what happens with correlated phenomena.
As for the approach, it will be a quantitative research that will translate into numbers.
the opinions and information to be classified and analyzed using techniques and packages
statistics.
[Link] Methods:
The Inductive Method is anticipated as a mental process that, starting from particular data,
sufficiently established, a general or universal truth is inferred, not contained in the parts
examined. Starting by looking for the justification for the inductive inferences to in
therefore seeking justification to foresee if the future will be like the past, what will ensue
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with the observation of phenomena, the discovery of the relationship between them and the generalization of
relation.
3.2.2. Population
This research will cover teachers, students, and information record documents.
pedagogical of the Secondary School of Mabilibili. The students will be the target group for implementation.
two Didactic Models during the lessons, therefore, their utilization will be evaluated
pedagogical to evaluate what changes in the teaching/learning process and in the end they will fill out
a survey to give your opinion, the teachers in turn will be the mentors of the research
using the Didactic Models and will be the source of pedagogical information and will be subject to the
filling out a questionnaire.
[Link]
The sample of this research will consist of 3 classes in each grade (8a,9ae10aclasses) that
they will be chosen randomly and by the collective of Biology teachers, we will resort to
also to the agendas of previous years to compare the pedagogical gain.
4. Theoretical Foundation
[Link] in Mozambique
narrow (MEC/INDE, 2007). In the aspect of the quality of education, the fact that it constitutes a concern
a significant number of children reach the end of the first cycle of primary education without
they have developed the skills of reading and writing, embodied in the curriculum. The
pedagogical improvement, especially in the 10th and 12th grades of secondary education, constitutes
equally a source of concern (MINED/PEE, 2012).
The National Education System outlined as one of the general objectives of secondary education
generally by the end of the 1st Cycle of Secondary General Education, the student should be able to
Develop small research projects and present the reports in clear language.
coherent and objective and by the end of the 2nd cycle, in addition to consolidating knowledge,
skills, attitudes, and values developed in the 1st cycle, be able to perform small
research and scientific investigation projects in your chosen curricular area, guidance or
adoption.
The current ESG curriculum is characterized by being encyclopedic and oriented towards continuation.
of studies in Higher Education, thus not meeting the needs of the labor market
and of Mozambican society in general and the globalized world (MEC/INDE, 2007).
According to law no. 6/92, one of the general objectives of the National Education System is reflected
The use of didactic materials in Biology classes is essential. For this, it is necessary to
reflect on the use and correct application of the available teaching methods. It is known that
nem sempre o objecto real pode ser colocado à disposição e que certas particularidades do
even if they cannot always be studied. In these cases, one will have to resort to the objects
representatives. Oral language is considered a didactic means of greater abstraction and,
consequently, one who demands a high intellectual capacity from the student to
to perceive the respective content related to an object, phenomenon, or natural process.
Considering the difficulties that most of our schools have with teaching materials, it is
possible to acquire simple, elementary, suggestive didactic materials, products of imagination and
the creativity of the teacher, without requiring large sums of money (INDE/MINED, 2010).
When Piaget says 'There is no structure without genesis, nor genesis without structure,' it is understood that
The individual's maturation structure undergoes a genetic process, and the genesis depends on a
maturation structure. This theory shows that the individual only receives a certain
knowledge if you are prepared to receive it. In this conception, the importance is recognized
from contextualization, in the construction of knowledge as a background to be rethought, or
be, if you can act on the object of knowledge to insert it into a system of relations. Not
does a new knowledge exist without the organism having prior knowledge to
to be able to assimilate it and transform it (MOREIRA et al).
[Link] Teaching
The General Secondary Education Curriculum Plan on page 17 advocates that the Integrated ESG
develops in the student a set of knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes in a way
articulated with all areas of learning, which take place in an evaluation system
formative whose implementation allows students to analyze phenomena from different
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What implies the poles of intelligent activity: assimilation and accommodation. It is assimilation in
to the extent that it incorporates all the data of the experience or structuring by
incorporation of external reality into forms due to the activity of the subject (Piaget, 1982). It is
accommodation as the structure modifies according to the environment, its variations. The
intellectual adaptation consists then in a "progressive balance between a mechanism
"assimilator and a complementary accommodation" (Piaget, 1982) cited by (MOREIRA et al).
[Link] Models
Teaching methods or didactic means are according to Nivagara (year unknown) resources
aids that the teacher and students use for the realization and illustration of the process of
teaching and learning necessary to achieve educational goals.
Teaching methods - designate all means and material resources used by the teacher and by the
alunos para a organização e condução metódica do processo de ensino-aprendizagem Libâneo
(1994). On the other hand, they designate means of teaching to the material objects of pedagogical work.
teacher, intended to be used in an educational process.
It is reasonable to think that the use of these instruments is the exclusive domain of the teacher, a
since it traditionally falls to him to make the necessary connections between teaching and the
learning (FREITAS, 2009). The teaching programs, the school materials, especially the
The student book and the teacher's manual are tools that facilitate the teacher's work.
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helping and showing the possibilities of integrated approaches of the different units
themes (MEC/INDE, 2007).
If the school employee brings to light the educational actions they perform during their routine
working consciously creates a foundation in the perception of oneself as an educator. And, when
proceeding this way will certainly awaken in the other the same perception. (FREITAS, 2009).
According to INDE/MINED (2003), programs are sources of study and guidance for teachers.
with which you intend to make teaching more relevant, so that it becomes the factor for
excellence of social cohesion. They are also the foundational instrument for pedagogical discussions.
at school, to improve professional performance.
The teacher, by possessing the knowledge of the content they will teach, by overestimating the
students' ability to abstract or because managing a ... is considered laborious
activity with resources different from the book and chalkboard, among other reasons, dispenses with the
use of materials that could enrich and mediate the construction of knowledge, opting for classes
only expository or with few resources (FREITAS, 2009).
The strategic options regarding education highlight the massification of basic education, the
strengthening of secondary education, the expansion of literacy and adult education, the
vocational training, education focused on science and technology, and the introduction
patriotic, moral, ethical and civic, scientific investigation, and innovation, at all levels of the system
from education (MEC/INDE, 2007).
According to Freitas (2009), the optimization of the use of existing equipment in the school, even though
The production of materials that meet the specific demands of each school, of each class or
the same of each student is a practice not only possible but very necessary in a good part of the
schools from all over the country.
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Classroom according to Libâneo (1994) is the predominant form of organization of the process of
teaching, as a joint action of the teacher and the students in which the teacher stimulates and guides
activities based on students' learning and active conscious assimilation of
contents. Piaget, with a background in Biology, situates the epistemological problem, that of
knowledge, at the level of an interaction between the subject and the object. And "this dialectic resolves
all the conflicts arising from theories, associationist, empiricist, structureless genetic,
structuralists without genesis, etc. and allows to follow successive phases of the progressive construction of
[Link]
According to Piletti (2004), evaluation is the process through which the degree and the
amount of results achieved in relation to the objectives, considering the context of the
conditions under which the work was developed. According to Libâneo (1994), evaluation is an appreciation
qualitative data about relevant PEA that assists the teacher and the student in decision-making
decisions on what should be done about your work next, to achieve the objectives of
teaching.
And in the end the teaching-learning process happens not only in the classroom but also in groups,
because internal aspects relate to the competencies of the student or learner with the
unfolding of learning, as well as the aspects of the current research in which the
The professor will distribute forms that the student will receive and fill out to check their understanding.
[Link]
The project will require 50,000 Meticais to spend on the following expenses:
6. Schedule
do project
to SDEJT
02 Presentation
to the project
school
03 Search for
Sponsorship
04 Selection of
sample
05 Elaboration
of models
06 Use two
models
07 Workshop
at school
08 Evaluation of
performance
09 Compilation
of data
10 Preparation
of the report
7. Bibliographic References
Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) / National Institute for the Development of Education
(IND). Curriculum Plan for General Secondary Education (PCESG) - Guiding Document
Objectives, Policy, Structure, Study Plan and Implementation Strategies, Maputo, 2007.
NIVAGARA, Daniel D.. General Didactics: Learning to Teach, Distance Education University
Pedagogical
Index
[Link]ção.........................................................................................................................1
[Link]......................................................................................................................2
1.1.1. General Objective...........................................................................................................2
1.1.2. Specific Objectives.................................................................................................2
[Link]........................................................................................................................2
1.3. Justification....................................................................................................................3
[Link] Questions.......................................................................................................3
[Link]óteses .......................................................................................................................3
2. Material ............................................................................................................................4
[Link]......................................................................................................................5
3.1. Study Area................................................................................................................5
3.1.1. Infrastructures and Services
3.1.2. Relief, Vegetation and Fauna
[Link] Potential.......................................................................................................7
[Link] and Livestock
3.2. Type of Research ............................................................................................................8
[Link] Methods: ...................................................................................................8
[Link]....................................................................................................................9
[Link].................................................................9
4. Theoretical Foundation ............................................................................................9
[Link] in Mozambique.............................................................................................9
4.2. Overcoming Strategies...............................................................................................10
[Link] Teaching ..........................................................................................................11
4.4. Educational Models......................................................................................................12
[Link] of teaching methods .............................................................................12
4.4.2. Objectives of teaching methods .................................................................................13
4.4.3. Importance of teaching methods ...............................................................................13
4.4.4. Some activities for producing teaching materials ...............................................13
[Link] of Using Didactic Models.....................................................................13
4.6. Possibilities of creating your own teaching material ......................................14
[Link]ção.....................................................................................................................15
[Link] objectives.............................................................................................15
[Link]çamento ......................................................................................................................16
6. Schedule ....................................................................................................................17
7. Bibliographic References...............................................................................................18
Alamo Pascoal Alamo
Pedagogical University
Maputo
2014
Alamo Pascoal Alamo
Universidade Pedagógica
Maputo
2014