“Dominó dos Múltiplos”: a ludic approach to teaching multiples and divisors in 6th grade

Abstract

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the educational game "Dominó dos Múltiplos" as a pedagogical tool for teaching the concept of divisibility of natural numbers to 6th grade students. The methodology included the development of the game based on Way's (2011) guidelines and its implementation in a state school, followed by classroom observations and the application of discursive textual analysis, as conceived by Moraes (2003), on the students' responses. The results showed that the game “Dominó dos Múltiplos” motivated the students in the classroom, contributing to a more engaging learning environment. The results revealed that some students had difficulties differentiating between the ideas of multiples and divisors, as well as understanding zero as a multiple of all natural numbers. The discursive textual analysis of the students' answers indicated that most of them understood the concepts covered, despite occasional confusion. The students' perceptions of the game were generally very positive, highlighting the fun provided by the activity and its role in the learning process. In the end, the “Dominó dos Múltiplos” game proved to be an effective tool for teaching multiples and divisors, contributing to research on educational games in math teaching and providing guidelines for future research and improvements in the pedagogical approach adopted.