Startic Lab: um laboratório web para o ensino de probabilidades.

Abstract

Teaching faces, in general, great challenges to reconcile the demands of a generation born in the digital universe with the knowledge acquired by humanity, organized in the form of content. In the case of subjects that involve abstract concepts, such as probability, the challenge becomes even greater, since the average student has no contact with the subject and depends on a large number of experiments to be able to perceive patterns. In this respect, current technology allows the use of virtual laboratories, which guarantee the student a practical experience of experiments that cannot be carried out with great educational effectiveness due to their high cost and the need for replication. This research is placed in this context, with the objective of developing an online statistics laboratory so that students and teachers can improve the teaching and learning process of some concepts related to basic statistics and probability. With the review of two classic games related to the theme, the passe-dix and the Bertrand box, and with special attention to the points that correspond to the main difficulties of the Brazilian student in the 21st century, the virtual laboratory has the potential to insert the content, considered complicated, in a playful and visual way, which tends to consolidate the knowledge of users. With the application of the developed laboratory, students are able to see that it is more likely to obtain the sum 10 compared to the sum 9 in the pass-dix game, solving the misunderstanding of the bias of equiprobability, as well as correctly understanding the sample space through visual graphics. Regarding the game Bertrand box, students can perceive the sample space, also visually, avoiding common errors in game analysis, such as inverting the temporal axis. Through the game Snakes and Ladders, students learn mathematics by playing dice, that is, it provides a playful teaching of mathematics. As in the game of Differents, children with the use of dice are able to learn probability in a fun way. Based on the examples shown, the present research is concluded with a discussion on the importance of using virtual laboratories to improve the teaching and learning process of students from all classes and in all contexts, since major obstacles found in experiments that they use physical laboratories are remedied and, in addition, the profile of the contemporary student is quite compatible with digital information and communication technologies applied to Education.