Rethinking Fermi problems for science teaching and learning

In this article we present a compilation of research results on the educational use of Fermi problems. While working on these problems, the key aspect is identifying the most relevant variables of a phenomenon and estimating them in order to obtain a solution to the problem. Fermi problems come from a long tradition, they have been used at all educational levels, but they have not yet established as a common activity in the classroom, especially in science classrooms. Given the broad didactic potential of Fermi problems identified in the literature, our contribution in this article is the connections with areas of interest for science teaching. We propose four didactic axes to which Fermi problems can make a relevant contribution in the science classroom: (a) To better understand what science is like, (b) To better participate in school science, (c) To better construct scientific ideas, (d) To better raise awareness of socio-scientific problems. To make the proposal more concrete, we show an example of a concrete solution with a problem of estimation of energy values, which allows us to exemplify classroom work and allows discussion with students on the relevance of science in social problems.