Aprendizagem significativa das operações matemáticas: uma proposta de ensino gamificada baseada na resolução de problemas

Abstract

The teaching of Mathematics in the early years of elementary education constitutes one of the pillars of school education, as the understanding of basic mathematical operations influences the development of competencies essential for learning subsequent mathematical content and for students' performance in different everyday situations. However, the results of both internal and external assessments reveal persistent difficulties in learning these contents, associated, among other factors, with the predominance of traditional teaching methodologies, the insufficient articulation between theory and pedagogical practice, and students' lack of motivation toward school activities. In this context, the present research addresses the teaching of basic mathematical operations in the fifth year of elementary education through gamification and Problem Solving, grounded in the perspective of Meaningful Learning. The general objective was to investigate the potentialities and limitations of a teaching proposal for basic mathematical operations structured according to the principles of gamification, in which the activities consist of Problem-Solving tasks, considering the perspective of Meaningful Learning and intended for fifth-grade elementary school students. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, exploratory, and bibliographic study developed through the survey, systematization, and critical analysis of the scientific literature on gamification, Problem Solving, the Theory of Conceptual Fields, and the Theory of Meaningful Learning, seeking to establish relationships among these theoretical frameworks and their potential contributions to Mathematics teaching. The results indicate that the integration of gamification and Problem Solving has the potential to promote greater student engagement, participation, and protagonism, fostering the attribution of meaning to mathematical concepts and the construction of meaningful learning. As its scientific and pedagogical contribution, the research proposes an Educational Product in the form of a Pedagogical Handbook consisting of a Gamified Didactic Sequence for teaching basic mathematical operations, providing a theoretically grounded resource that can be implemented in school contexts while broadening discussions on innovative methodologies for Mathematics teaching from the perspective of Meaningful Learning.