Calculia: an innovative game to assist individuals with learning difficulties in basic mathematics operations

Abstract

The educational application entitled “CALCULIA: An innovative game to help people with learning difficulties in basic Mathematics operations” was developed by a multidisciplinary team from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Maranhão and Piauí – IFMA and IFPI, together with the Department of Education of the Government of the State of Maranhão – SEDUC-MA, formed by teachers, students and volunteers, to be used in formal and non-formal learning spaces, aiming to teach basic mathematical operations, as well as numerical symbolic understanding, targeting people with dyscalculia. Gamification was inserted as a teaching-learning strategy to acquire mathematical knowledge such as: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, in addition to understanding mathematical symbols: figures, proportions, concepts and formulas. The methodological path adopted was Applied Behavior Analysis – ABA, for which bibliographical surveys, document analysis, prior search and field research were carried out, followed by the computational steps for the prototyping process, character creation, application development process, creation levels, prototype testing, adjustments and application validation. Its approach focused on verbal and operational dyscalculia with the aim of helping professionals in the field of Education and Health, improving the quality of life of individuals with dyscalculia. The evidence found reinforces the need to expand the project to cover practical, lexical, graphic and ideognostic dyscalculia.