Learning about energy metabolism: Using the UNO game as a teaching tool.

Abstract

Biochemistry incorporates, among other aspects, concepts from biology and chemistry, often requiring the use of imagination to correlate them with practice, making learning sometimes less accessible to most students, especially those in high school. Thus, alternative ways to approach these topics, such as the use of didactic models and various playful activities, including educational games, have proven to be quite effective in the teaching and learning process. The objective of this work was to present an educational game in the format of "UNO," bringing the theme of energy metabolism, from the perspective of concept correlation, aiming to enhance understanding and facilitate the learning process of high school students, as well as to make the teaching practice something enjoyable and dynamic. The game was produced by undergraduate students in biological sciences at UFPI as part of the Institutional Program of Teaching Initiation Scholarship (PIBID) and was applied and evaluated in high schools in Teresina, Piauí, where they participated during their experience in the aforementioned professional training program. The material produced and tested proved to be effective not only as an action to improve the learning of the school's students but also as an interesting way for future teachers to deliver certain content, making the process more dynamic and turning the previously problematic topic into something accessible and easier to understand.