{"id":3908,"date":"2022-09-14T15:33:22","date_gmt":"2022-09-14T18:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/solvefortomorrowlatam.com\/pratica\/educacao-stem-filtro-microplasticos-lavagem-roupas\/"},"modified":"2023-02-02T14:28:57","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T17:28:57","slug":"education-stem-filter-microplastics-washing-clothes","status":"publish","type":"pratica","link":"https:\/\/solvefortomorrowlatam.com\/en\/case\/education-stem-filter-microplastics-washing-clothes\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Argentines develop a device to capture microplastics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The most diverse synthetic fibers (most derived from plastic compounds) have become a common material in contemporary clothing. Whether to achieve colors and textures or to reduce the cost of clothing, what few know is that these fibers end up releasing microplastics<\/a> when washed; and these microscopic structures end up contaminating waters, which are used for planting and human consumption. Exceedingly small, up to 5mm in diameter, microplastics take between 400 and 1000 years to disintegrate, and when they reach living beings, they lodge in their bodies and tissues, with harmful effects on health, although still little known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was one of the topics discussed in an online seminar open to the community held by Universidad del Sur<\/a>, during the Covid-19 pandemic. When invited by chemistry teacher Walter Acosta to attend the activity, and observe how academic discussion activities are conducted, students Karla Bustamante, Agust\u00edn Mang\u00fcello, and Victoria Wesner decided that they needed to collaborate on the issue. Students of teacher Walter in the technical degree in chemistry at the Escuela de Educaci\u00f3n Secundaria T\u00e9cnica (EEST) N\u00ba1 \u201cCrucero A.R.A. General Belgrano<\/a>\u201d, from the city of Bahia Blanca, 650 km away from the capital, in Argentina, the students decided to advance in a scientific project capable of offering some kind of answer to the challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although he was familiar with Project Based Learning<\/a> concepts, Walter had little practical experience in mediating student authorship activities. But when he was invited, he not only immersed himself in the experience but also profoundly transformed his teaching practices based on it. \u201cMy students taught me a lot with this activity. My practice was very content-oriented and this experience showed me the power of the approach via projects, Design Thinking<\/a>, and STEM<\/a> to transform the classroom,\u201d he celebrates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All the activities were conducted as extracurricular activities, at times after the activities, there were many months of dedication by the whole group. To start the proposal, using WhatsApp groups, the teacher and the trio of students shared reference texts on the topic. As a task, after a deadline, the students had to read and summarize the contents discussed in brief meetings during recess or after classes. \u201cIt is necessary to remember that they conducted the entire project at the same time as they fulfilled the workload and activities of 12 subjects\u201d, argues Walter.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n