Jogo, ensino e utopia: reflexões sobre o jogo como recurso pedagógico à luz de Bernard Suits.

Abstract

The present dissertation investigates the potential of the board game as a pedagogical tool to intensify student engagement in Philosophy classes and to improve the teaching-learning process. Grounded on the hypothesis that the game, as a ludic activity endowed with intrinsic value, and the acceptance of this ludic character in pedagogical practices may stimulate the intrinsic motivation of students, the research mobilizes three theoretical perspectives: Bernard Suits’ conception of game, which emphasizes the intrinsic value of play; the formulations on gamification by Karl Kapp and Raul Busarello, which guide the incorporation of ludic mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics in order to promote engagement in activities that are not originally ludic; and the perspectives of Mario Ariel González Porta, which defend a Philosophy teaching centered on problems — an approach that distances itself from the traditional model of mere conceptual reproduction and opens space for the application of ludic and gamified experiences in philosophical teaching. Based on these references, the investigation proposes, through an action-research design, to conceive, prototype, and apply in a school context a didactic board game that intentionally implements Suits’ theoretical elements and the gamification resources indicated by Kapp and Busarello, while also implementing problem-based teaching practices postulated by Porta. The evaluation will focus on the effect of the prototype on engagement and on the development of philosophical competencies, as well as discuss its pedagogical implications.