Detetive Químico: Uma proposta de jogo aplicável ao Ensino Médio

Abstract

Chemistry teaching presents challenges related to the abstract nature of scientific concepts, the discipline-specific language, and students' difficulty in establishing connections between school content and everyday situations. In this context, learning the Periodic Table represents one of the topics that requires pedagogical strategies capable of overcoming approaches based exclusively on memorization. This study aimed to develop an inquiry-based educational game, entitled Chemical Detective, designed to support the teaching of the Periodic Table in secondary education. The research is characterized as bibliographic and propositional, grounded in studies on active learning methodologies, inquiry-based learning, and educational games in science education. As an educational product, a board game was developed, consisting of evidence cards, challenges, and playful elements designed to encourage students' active participation, information analysis, hypothesis formulation, and problem-solving. The proposal is based on the understanding that educational games can make the teaching and learning process more dynamic, meaningful, and contextualized, bringing scientific knowledge closer to students' everyday experiences. The game is expected to contribute to students' understanding of the organization of the Periodic Table and the properties of chemical elements, while fostering skills such as logical reasoning, argumentation, collaboration, and critical thinking. Therefore, Chemical Detective has the potential to serve as an innovative pedagogical resource for diversifying Chemistry teaching practices and promoting greater student engagement in the learning process