Innovation in the teaching of human physiology at university and school: pedagogical process based on interdisciplinarity and learning station rotation

Abstract

This paper presents the description and analysis of a didactic experience involving the participation of a university and a community school, developed as part of the National Science and Technology Week, at a public university in northeastern Brazil. For this purpose, the use of learning station rotation enabled innovation in the teaching of physiology integrated with biochemistry and health education contents. The didactic approach consisted of creating a learning circuit comprising seven stations. The central theme of the stations emphasized physiology, with specific foci on biochemistry and cardiorespiratory and endocrine health. Each station provided unique activities related to the central theme, including a station concerning digital technology in physiology. The school students were divided into small groups (6 or 7 people) that rotated through the stations, with a total of 81 students visiting each station. A qualitative assessment was performed using a Likert-scale questionnaire to measure the level of satisfaction of the students. It was found that this didactic approach increased the receptivity of the students to the contents, facilitated student-teacher dialogue, and provided an excellent tool for establishing an interface between the university and the community school. Overall, 76.5% of the students rated the activity as excellent.