Jogos de Tabuleiro no Ensino de Astronomia

Abstract

Astronomy is considered the first science studied by humanity, with records dating back to antiquity. It arouses fascination when contemplating the night sky, such as the Moon, stars, and planets. Official documents in Brazil, such as the PCN and the BNCC, include astronomical content in basic education curricula, while teachers value astronomy for its scientific relevance, interdisciplinary nature, and educational potential. However, there is a shortage of teaching materials and inadequate teacher training in this subject. Therefore, this work discusses the importance of astronomy education and its difficulties, aiming to develop a boardgame about the exploration of Mars for educational and scientific dissemination purposes. The game is designed for teaching in the informal setting of a planetarium, specifically at the Planetário da Unipampa, where it was applied and evaluated for its aspects of fun and learning using content analysis methodology. The results showed the effectiveness of the developed game in promoting enjoyment, evidenced by the verbal and non-verbal expressions of the students during the activity. Regarding knowledge, positive indications were found in the learning development, with students demonstrating interest and mastery of the information obtained in the game during the application. Based on all these findings, it can be inferred that games in education can be a tool with high potential.