Students of the institution’s Technical High School have classes with didactics of gamification and use of technology as a learning support
São Paulo, March 30, 2023 – With the aim of bringing new approaches to teaching in the classroom, Senac São Paulo adopted Minecraft Education Edition resources for high school students at the institution. The project, which began in the 2022 school year, is focused on meeting the demands for updating teaching and learning practices, with more dynamic and multidisciplinary classes that suit the more connected profile of young people.
Used to promote and stimulate the learning process, the game acts in several aspects: logical reasoning, computational thinking, collective collaboration, communication and development of socio-emotional skills in an immersive digital environment, including teaching regarding history and geography, through activities practices included in the universe of games.
The resource has already been made available to 164 classes from different units in the State, impacting more than 6,000 students. In addition, the teaching institution trained 440 teachers in different areas of knowledge, who started to use the program in their disciplines.
Minecraft Education Edition is a game of the type sand box, therefore, allows the user to build environments and structures in the virtual world and interact with them. It is currently present in more than 100 countries around the world, as a tool for teaching and learning the following disciplines: history, physics, science, art, poetry, digital citizenship, among others. In addition, the content allows for greater interdisciplinarity, one of the main features highlighted in the New High School, approved in 2017 (Law No. 13,415/2017).
This was the case of students from the Ribeirão Preto unit, in the interior of the state, who developed a reproduction of the feudal economic system in the game. The game was used in order to expand the analysis skills on the formation of territories and borders, in different times and spaces. In this way, it contributed to the students’ understanding of the evolution of the historical process, of the current world geopolitics.
“The possibility of creating a feud articulated the students’ creativity to create a scenario that was known from the previously elaborated research, in addition to the images that were shared during the classes. The game also encourages collaborative work, in which students work together to prepare the planned scenarios, within the stipulated time frame”, explains Cleber Sberni, professor of Human and Applied Social Sciences at Senac Ribeirão Preto.
Since 2011, Microsoft has supported more than 7,500 startups in Brazil, through donations of more than US$202 million in cloud credits. Another proposal focused on teaching and learning, through gamification in Minecraft EE, was the development of an annual project for students from the same unit, responsible for creating a sustainable city with a focus on peripheral areas and access to basic services. proposals for improvements in the city, to make it more accessible, as well as using artificial intelligence with voice technology (virtual assistant). IT professional.
Meanwhile, students from the Technical High School in Computing at Senac São Bernardo do Campo, a unit in Greater São Paulo, used the game to create a Historical Museum of Computing, applying knowledge related to the impact of information technology and its relationship with the past, present and future. In addition to all the research, conceptual work and creativity involved in the experience, students reflected on ethics and technology.
“Using Minecraft, we were able to create the Historical Museum of Computing and compare how much and how technology has evolved over the years. In the past, equipment was large, robust and not very efficient, and today it is faster and more compact. I loved learning regarding the history of technology using games”, says Pedro Leonardo Laurentino Alves, a student in the 1st year of Technical High School in Informatics at Senac São Bernardo do Campo.
“The Minecraft: Education Edition platform aims to encourage creativity, collaboration and problem solving in a light and playful way for students. It is a tool that is in line with modern education, ideal for the integral development of the student, encompassing varied disciplines and knowledge. In addition, as it is a popular game among young people and children, it makes learning happen with a connection to something that is already part of their routine, with a simple and familiar language for them.”, highlights Vera Cabral, Director of Education-Skilling at Microsoft Brazil.
With the aim of uniting the reality of games to an education proposal, Minecraft Education Edition offers educators and students: interactive activities, pedagogical tools, cross-platform games, among other resources that help in the teaching and learning process.
About Senac São Paulo
An institution of excellence in professional education and tradition for more than 75 years, Senac São Paulo contributes to professional education by offering free courses, technical courses, technical secondary education and higher education (undergraduate, university extension and postgraduate), on-site and distance, in different areas of knowledge. In addition, it makes its Corporate Service available to public, private and third sector organizations with a team specialized in developing tailored solutions for their needs.
Senac is committed to the development of people through professional education. Throughout its history, the institution has always offered free vacancies in order to contribute to inclusion in the world of work. Over the years, Senac has increased its free offer and, today, offers technical courses, professional qualification and Learning through the Senac Free Program.
With 63 educational units, the institution is present throughout the state of São Paulo. There are 17 in the capital; five in Greater São Paulo; two on the coast; 37 inside; in addition to the three campuses of the Senac University Center, one in the Santo Amaro neighborhood, in the capital, and two in the interior, which form the educational complex with the Senac school-hotels in Águas de São Pedro and Campos do Jordão. The institution also has Editora Senac São Paulo. More information: www.sp.senac.br.
About Microsoft
Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT” @microsoft) enables digital transformation in the era of the intelligent cloud and the intelligent edge. Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. The company has been in Brazil for 34 years and is one of the subsidiaries of Microsoft Corporation, founded in 1975, which is present in over 190 countries. From July 2021 to June 2022, the company invested more than US$ 15 million in donations and discounts for non-profit entities, impacting more than 2,000 institutions with software donations, discounts for purchases and support for training projects. With the launch of the Microsoft For Startups Founders Hub, 443 new startups were approved, totaling 703 supported startups, which together have consumed USD 11,898,488.00 of Azure cloud credits.