Construção de produtos educacionais na forma de jogos digitais no Google Forms no estilo Escape Room

Abstract

Mathematics is often feared and stigmatized by students, making the search for more effective strategies to approach it crucial. In this context, the use of games and gamification emerges as a teaching strategy in education, aiming to understand its effectiveness and pedagogical application. It is believed that games have a significant potential to engage and motivate students, providing a more attractive and dynamic learning environment. This research seeks to explore how to make the most of this approach, considering its benefits and challenges, with the aim of improving the teaching and learning of mathematics. Historically, the use of games in education dates back to ancient times, being recognized by thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. Education theorists such as Piaget, Vygotsky and Montessori also highlighted the importance of games in child development. Given this, the question arises as to why not seek similar solutions for the final years of basic education. Different approaches to game-based learning were explored, including educational games, commercial games, game creation and gamification. These approaches offer a variety of ways to engage students, develop cognitive skills, promote interaction and cooperation, and reinforce the application of mathematical knowledge. A crucial aspect discussed is that pedagogical games are intentional, different from spontaneous games. Intentionality is fundamental for games to be used as effective pedagogical tools, aiming at building concepts, fixing contents and integral development of students. It is important to carefully select the appropriate games and to use them in a conscious and planned way. Creating an engaging narrative, stimulating challenges, and meaningful immersion can make educational games engaging and provide truly meaningful learning. These elements are fundamental for games to be effective as pedagogical tools, allowing students to actively engage and expand their knowledge in a deeper way. Comparative studies between the use of games and traditional teaching methods indicate positive effects of game-based learning on the affective aspect of students, without identifying negative impacts on the learning process. It emphasizes the importance of teachers being critical in the choice and use of games, ensuring that they are aligned with learning objectives and applied appropriately. The use of games and gamification in education can offer a more attractive, engaging and effective environment, providing an enriching learning experience for students. Finally, as a result of this research, a prototype of a ``Escape Room" style game was developed. This type of game was chosen due to its ability to promote problem solving, teamwork and logical-mathematical thinking, important aspects in the context of the mathematics discipline. The prototype was carefully designed to offer an immersive and challenging experience, in which students need to apply mathematical concepts to solve puzzles and advance in the game. This creation provided an opportunity to further explore the potential of educational games and their effective integration in the teaching-learning process of mathematics.