Gamificando na vida real: modelando a teoria para a prática pedagógica

Abstract

In the midst of constant technological changes and a world with an increasingly digital trend, changes in various social spaces, such as schools, are necessary. Teaching in a way that holds students' attention becomes a challenge when teachers are competing with so many technological tools, but using active methodologies in teaching coupled with technological tools is a way to untie the knot found in today's teaching. This research is focused on gamification, which consists in applying game elements in situations where there is no game. Through field research in the field of games and teaching, this work defines what can be considered the parameter of game elements and how they can incorporate teaching in the 21st century. The aim of this study is to build bridges between the practice and academic theory of gamification in education and to achieve it by developing a manual about how to gamify in the real life of schools. This manual was the result of research and gamified applications carried out in a private elementary school in a city of northern Parana during English Language classes. Through this application it was found that gamification can increase students' interest and participation, as well as promote better social and pedagogical practices in order to change even the students' conceptions and prejudices about learning a foreign language.