Principles of Activity Theory in analysing the process of construction of pedagogic activities with the use of mobile devices in the Chemistry learning

Abstract

Mobile devices emerge as the major players to ensure a favorable resource to connect, minimizing the limitation space-time constraints among people and enabling the use of emerging mobile learning (m-learning). The use of mobile devices in pedagogic praxis implies in a closer link between teachers in their initial development and their teacher educator in order to enable the incorporation of this mobile technology in undergraduate courses. This “approach” means the facilitation of meeting to discuss, reflect and talk about the incorporation of this technology in the teaching learning process. In this research, two professors had meetings to discuss and reflect about the employment of this mobile technology in the undergraduate course. One of them, a Chemistry teacher educator and the other is a computer and education teacher-research. The methodological approach is based on a qualitative method with some elements of action-research based on theoretical assumptions of the Activity Theory (ENGESTRÖM, 1999). Therefore, the study based on the debates over the use of mobile devices in the teaching of chemistry was developed as part of the undergraduate course in Chemistry at the Federal University of Rondonia. Among a set of activities, in which students and professors were present with their objects of specific activities, was presented the Activity system related to the construction of those activities. The analysis of SA from the perspective of the 5 principles of Activity Theory points out that the process of collaborative participation in the meetings, the implementation of activities with the students of the degree course and the preparation of scientific papers demonstrated the qualitative evolution of the chemistry teacher educator