Os jogos nos anos iniciais como possibilidade para uma aprendizagem significativa: o que dizem os professores

Abstract

The general objective of this study is to analyze how teachers in the early years of elementary school understand the use of games in the teaching and learning process. In order to achieve this objective, the following specific objectives were defined: to identify the contributions of games to meaningful learning; and to investigate the teachers’ conceptions about the relationship between games and education. In producing this qualitative, descriptive and dialectical research, we traced the methodological path, carrying out bibliographical, documentary and field research, with theoretical support from Lakatos and Marconi (2002), Fachin (2006), Gil (2008) and Triviños (1987). In addition, interviews were conducted with teachers from the municipal school system in the city of Caxias (MA) who worked in the literacy cycle, which corresponds to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years of elementary school. The discussions produced are based on the authors Huizinga (2000), Moreira and Masini (1982), Kishimoto (1995), Nascimento, Araujo and Migués (2009), among others. The research results show that teachers understand the potential of games and even in the face of adversity, they use them to mediate the construction of systematized knowledge. It is possible to verify that the mediation of learning based on the use of games provides the cognitive, emotional, social and cultural development of the subject. However, through the research and analyses carried out, gaps in the training of educators were also identified, which result in the difficulty in seeking new teaching methodologies and improving educational practices, causing difficulty in using games in the classroom effectively