The "ROCK CYCLE" game : a playful resource for geosciences teaching / Jogo "Ciclo das rochas" : um recurso ludico para o ensino de geociencias

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

It is relatively easy to find educational games and toys and also papers that report their use for teaching of different disciplines, specially on Mathematics. By the other hand, there are scarce similar experiences in the scientific branch of Geology. This situation has encouraged research on geological games. The “Rock Cycle” game is a proposal to stimulate geosciences teaching by means of a simple “board-and-playingcards” structure, which can be easily obtained and made with simple materials. The geologic game is capable to support the application, development and diffusion of concepts and some typical reasonings of the Geosciences and, or, more specifically, Geology. After some preliminary studies, is was designed and proposed a practical problem, which is to build a representative model of the rock cycle in Nature. Beyond the inclusion of properties such as pleasure, fun and autonomy, games dedicated to teaching-learning purposes promote the construction of knowledge allowing one to connect various didactic-pedagogic aspects, such as cognition, affection, entertainment and creativity. To play the game, the participants form small groups that cooperate and/or compete towards resolution of the problem. The playing cards yield information the players need to complete a diagram of the complete cycle. There are two categories of cards: cards of processes (red) and cards of products (blue). The first group describes the main geologic processes (weathering, erosion etc.), while the second ones describe products (different rock types, sediments etc.). There are also hint-cards including a few relevant information useful to solve the problem of positioning a given card on the board. Two models of boards (diagram structures) have been developed, adjusted to different levels of difficulty: basic and advanced. The basic-level board model is composed by a diagram of the rock cycle, ornamented with boxes that should be completed out by the players. In the advanced-level board model a similar network of boxes is presented, but the underlying diagram is absent, as to increase the degree of complexity. The choice between a higher or a lower degree of complexity depends on the school level at which the game is applied, as well as the familiarity of the participants with concepts of Geology. The game and the practical tests suggest the use of games to be highly positive for teaching-learning. The proposed game largely exceeds the typical functions of a mere entertainment object; it may help teachers to adjust the game to their needs. It can be an effective education tool, as long as the “Rock Cycle” game helps to popularize new theoretical concepts related to the subject.

ASSUNTO(S)

jogos em educação ciclo das rochas games geologia - estudo e ensino geociencias - estudo e ensino geosciences geology rock cycle

Documentos Relacionados