Games workshops and teachers’ training Maria Celia Rabello Malta Campos Educational and Human Development Psychology PhD. Psychology Institute - University of Sao Paulo - Brazil

Brougère, G: “a ausência de consequências faz com que o jogo seja um espaço sem risco, onde se pode experimentar, inventar, tentar alguma coisa sem risco de ser repreendido pelo real (1999:5).

Agenda Investigations on Games and Development Use of Games in the Classroom A Proposal for Games Workshops Research: Theoretical Justification and Methodology Games workshops methodology Interventions: some examples on a board game context

Games and Development

Investigation on Games and Development Investigation lines in Piagetian constructivist approach: 1. Games in evaluation and intervention in cognitive processes. 2.Games as a tool for development of teaching practices or for teaching school subjects. Work Group “Game and its value in Psychology and Education” - National Association of Research and Postgraduation in Psychology (ANPEPP): 4 research centers are represented and researching in those lines.

Use of Games in THE classroom

Use of games in the classroom: common approaches Common approaches in the use of games in the classroom: Spontaneous approach: no intervention at all  the student’s internal conditions and motivations predominate. Instructional approach  the object and the teaching purposes predominate.

Use of games in the classroom : constructivist approach To promote development and learning: Interaction is a facilitating condition. Construction is the necessary condition. Games are a spontaneous and challenging activity that strongly mobilizes students constructive action. Role of the teacher: Teachers must be competent in offering contexts and meaning for the pupils´action, in order to promote development and learning. .

The Research: Theory and Methodology

Games workshops: a proposal for teachers’ continuous training Aimed to be useful for groups of teachers from different school levels &/or educational contexts: School subjects are not the content of training. Focus is on promoting active teaching procedures. Use of games in the classroom may offer a ludic and challenging context for teachers to explore and test new methods and roles  my research hypothesis.

Teachers’ training theoretical references Piaget Development Theory contributions: continuous provision of context to mobilize meaningful action. focus on process: registering, observing and analysing actions and decisions. analysis of errors  as a tool for learning. turning school contents into problems for students’ investigation and discussion. opportunities for verbal expression of points of view and reasons.

Teachers’ training theoretical references R. Feuerstein’s Mediated Learning Experience Theory (MLE) values mental representation and verbal language in cognitive development process and interventions. Three main mediation criteria were central in teachers’ game practices: intentionality/reciprocity deeply links pupil and teacher; significance or value of learned content/skill generates principles for further actions; transcendence of acquired knowledge to be applied in other situations.

Research methodology: participants and duration 10 elementary school volunteer teachers. Private and public schools. Regular education: pupils 7-10 years old Special education: pupils of different ages. Length: Eight supervision meetings with the group of teachers each two weeks, during four months.

Research methodology: data collecting procedures Audio recording of teachers’ supervision meetings; Lots of games practice during meetings; Video recording of classroom practices; Documents produced by teachers: plans of activities with games; process evaluation; materials and resources used in game activities with pupils.

Analysing the results: employ of indicators Ability in coordinating collective activities (place, timing, kinds of games, group organization). Need of forecasting problems and planning interventions. Creation of meaningful contexts for playing games. Development of mediating strategies adapted for students’ diversities. Enable students to function in more abstract levels by mental representation and verbal communication.

Games workshops’ supervision methodology

Games Workshops supervision methodology Theory supported interventions aimed to improve knowledge construction and interactions. E.g.: different players’ organization (two players and one observer; pairs x pairs; teams x teams); game tournaments; problems about central or critical points in the game; forms to register games’ matches; introduction of a code in board games to allow communication.

ExampleS of intervENtions Connect Four ExampleS of intervENtions

Connect-four: commercial and handmade modalities Board: 42 holes to place pieces from top to bottom; players play in alternate turns. Goal: make a line of 4 pieces in one of 3 possible directions: horizontal, vertical, diagonal. Handmade: Letters and numbers compose a matrix in board game.

Registering matches Paper and pencil modality: tracing lines and drawing a Connect-four board.

Problems in Connect-four game You are the first to play. Mark a good place to put your piece. Why is this a good place?

Problems in Connect –four game It’s the yellow player turn. Which is the best place to put his/her piece? Why?

Problems in Connect –four game It’s the blue player turn. Which is the best place to put his/her piece? Why?

Bibliography Campos, M. C. R. M. (2004). Formação docente em oficinas de jogos: indicadores de mediação da aprendizagem. Doctoral Thesis, Instituto de Psicologia, University of São Paulo, São Paulo. Retrieved 2014-07-14, from http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/47/47131/tde-30052006-162802/ Campos, M.C.R.M. e Macedo, L. de. Desenvolvimento da função mediadora do professor em oficinas de jogos. Psicologia Escolar e Educacional, v. 15, p. 211-220, 2011. Retrieved 2012-07-14, from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-85572011000200003&lng=pt&nrm=iso&tlng=en Campos, M.C.R.M. O jogo em sala de aula e o desenvolvimento de competências do aluno e do professor. In CAMPOS, M.C.R.M. Atuação em Psicopedagogia Institucional. R.J: WAK Ed., p. 19-66.

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