Jogos digitais no estudo do clima da Amazônia para alunos do Ensino Médio

Abstract

Geography, as a component of the human and applied social sciences, plays a fundamental role in the critical understanding of geographic space and the relationships between society and nature—geographic literacy. In the school context, particularly in the teaching of Physical Geography, the teaching–learning process presents challenges, as it involves abstract concepts and requires the contextualization of natural phenomena within students’ social realities. Historically, Geography teaching has been marked by mnemonic and descriptive practices, which reinforces the need for methodologies that promote students’ active participation. In this regard, active methodologies—especially learning through digital games—emerge as pedagogical strategies capable of making students protagonists in the educational process, while the teacher assumes the role of learning mediator. Given the current scenario of intensified climate change, with significant impacts on the Amazon region, particularly in urban centers such as Belém (PA), it becomes essential to foster critical reflections on the society–nature relationship. In this context, this study aims to analyze how learning through digital games, applied as an active methodology, can enhance the understanding of knowledge objects related to climate and climate change among high school students from public and private schools in Belém (PA). The study seeks to evaluate student engagement, identify their perceptions regarding the relevance of the topic, compare challenges across different school contexts, and understand the role of the teacher in this process, thereby contributing to meaningful learning and the holistic formation of individuals. This is a qualitative–quantitative study that employed the Wordwall platform to create quizzes, as well as the applications Canva.com and QRCodeCreator.com to structure the lesson sequence. The main challenges encountered were the instability of the internet network and the lack of adequate equipment for some students. Nevertheless, after the initial period of excitement, an improvement in students’ attention and interaction with the knowledge object was observed. We produced three quiz-style games, each with a different layout. First, the questions focused exclusively on the Amazon; next, they addressed climate change; and finally, they connected the Amazon and climate change. In order to organize these activities, a pedagogical learning path was created in the Canva app. The activity was designed with special attention to students with disabilities (PCD), adapting both the questions and the game format to ensure the participation of all students, promoting interaction and peer learning. The classroom teachers noted better retention of the topics addressed and highlighted that this active methodology—particularly digital games—can be used at other moments during the school year to enhance learning in additional knowledge areas.