Criar o próprio jogo didático ou apenas jogar? Efeitos de diferentes estratégias de ensino na motivação e aprendizado de ciências

The use of games as educational tools is common, however the effectiveness of games with educational purposes is still poorly known. In this study we evaluated three different low-cost teaching strategies make and play your own board game, just play an educational science game and make a poster to be exposed in the school regarding: (1) science learning; (2) use of deep learning strategies (DLS); and (3) intrinsic motivation. We tested the hypothesis that, in these three parameters evaluated, scores would be higher in the group that made and play their own game, followed respectively by the group that just played a game and the group that made a poster. The research involved 214 fifth-grade students from six elementary schools in Natal/RN. A group of students made and played their own science board game (N = 68), a second group played a science game (N = 75), and a third group made a poster to be exposed at school (N = 71). Our hypothesis was partly empirically supported, since there was no significant difference in science learning and in the use of DLS between the group that made their own game and the group that just played the game; however, both groups had significantly higher scores in science learning and in use of DLS than the group that made the poster. There was no significant difference in the scores of intrinsic motivation among the three experimental groups. Our results indicate that activities related to non-digital games can provide a favorable context for learning in the school environment. We conclude that the use of games for educational purposes (both making a game and just playing a game) is an efficient and viable alternative to teach science in Brazilian public school

Terapia ocupacional em ação interdisciplinar: jogos educativo-nutricionais na prevenção da obesidade infantil

The inter-subjectivity is the answer in the search for the solution of complex problems, which concerns interfaces of knowledge, respecting their borders. This paradigm is essential in the author's work. So, the search on screen is based on this perspective, by using inter-subject groups of work conduced by professionals of Computer Science, Social Communication, Architecture and Urbanism, Pedagogy, Psicopegagogy, Nutritional Science, Endocrinology, Occupational Therapy and Nursing, it was also part of this group an 8 year old child, daughter of one of the professional who took part of the group. This thesis aims to present the course of investigation developed, analyzing the action of inter-subject Occupational Therapy and Nutrition on the promotion of learning nutritional concepts through educative-nutritional games in order to prevent child's obesity in an educative context. The research was analytic, interventionist and almost experimental. It took place in a public school in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil, between August and December 2004. It was selected a sample non-probabilistic, by convenience, of 200 children, born from 1994 to 1996. It was selected almost nonprobabilistically, by convenience, 200 children born between 1994 and 1996. To analyze the results it was used a triangulation, associated by quantitative and qualitative approaches. The basis collect happened through games specially manufactured to these research- video-games, board games, memory games, puzzles, scramble, searching words and iterative basics. There were semi-structured interviews, direct and structured observations and focus in-groups. It was noticed the efficiency of educativenutritional games in the learning process, which lead to a changing of attitude towards the eating choices. These games gave similar results in relation to the compared variations preferences, experience and attitudes, theses attitudes were observed through the game; and the categories to compare the possibility of learning by playing, the fantasy in the learning process, learning concepts of nutritional education and the need of help in the learning process (mediation). It was proved that educativenutritional games could be used to teach nutritional concepts, in an inter-subjective action of Occupational Therapy and Nutrition in schools. The simultaneous application of these games lead to the optimization of child s learning process. It should be emphasized the need of studies about the adaptation of tools used in a child s Nutritional Education, with the help of inter-subjective action. Because just one subject, in a fractionated way can give an answer to complex problems and help to a change of the reality with effectiveness and resolution

Validade e reprodutibilidade do Wii Balance Board para avaliação do equilíbrio vertical estático: um novo método de avaliação.

The Wii Balance Board (WBB) began to be investigated as a low-cost alternative for assessing static balance in vertical posture. However, studies employed methodological procedures that did not eliminate result variability between the tests and equipment used. Objective: Determine the validity and reproducibility of the WBB as an instrument for assessing static balance in the vertical position, using simultaneous data analysis and superimposed equipment. Methods: This is an accuracy study of 29 healthy young individuals of both sexes aged 18 to 30 years. Subjects were assessed 24h apart (test-retest), using unipodal and bipodal support tests, with eyes closed and open. To that end the WBB was placed on top of a force platform (FP) and data (postural sway) were collected simultaneously on both devices. Validity and reproducibility were analyzed using the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Finally, Bland-Altman analysis was applied to assess agreement. Results: The sample was composed of 23 women and 6 men, with mean age of 24.2±6.3 years, 60.7±6.3 kg and 1.64±4.2 m. The validity of the WBB compared to the FP was excellent for all 4 tasks proposed (ICC = 0.93 0.98). The reproducibility analyzed by test-retest was excellent for the bipodal support tasks (ICC = 0.93-0.98) and only moderate for the unipodal support tests (ICC = 0.46 0.70). Graphic analysis exhibited good agreement between the devices, since most of the measures were within the limits of agreement. Conclusion: this study proved the validity and reproducibility of the Wii Balance Board as an instrument for assessing static balance in vertical posture, using simultaneous analysis with superimposed equipment. Thus, the WBB has been increasingly used by physical therapists and other health professionals in their clinical practice, as both a rehabilitation and assessment tool

O problema do Hiker Dice em tabuleiro compacto: um estudo algorítmico

The Hiker Dice was a game recently proposed in a software designed by Mara Kuzmich and Leonardo Goldbarg. In the game a dice is responsible for building a trail on an n x m board. As the dice waits upon a cell on the board, it prints the side that touches the surface. The game shows the Hamiltonian Path Problem Simple Maximum Hiker Dice (Hidi-CHS) in trays Compact Nth , this problem is then characterized by looking for a Hamiltonian Path that maximize the sum of marked sides on the board. The research now related, models the problem through Graphs, and proposes two classes of solution algorithms. The first class, belonging to the exact algorithms, is formed by a backtracking algorithm planed with a return through logical rules and limiting the best found solution. The second class of algorithms is composed by metaheuristics type Evolutionary Computing, Local Ramdomized search and GRASP (Greed Randomized Adaptative Search). Three specific operators for the algorithms were created as follows: restructuring, recombination with two solutions and random greedy constructive.The exact algorithm was teste on 4x4 to 8x8 boards exhausting the possibility of higher computational treatment of cases due to the explosion in processing time. The heuristics algorithms were tested on 5x5 to 14x14 boards. According to the applied methodology for evaluation, the results acheived by the heuristics algorithms suggests a better performance for the GRASP algorithm