“SIX THINKING CARDS”: A GAME FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING ARGUMENTATIVE SKILLS IN THE CHEMISTRY CLASSROOM

Abstract

Considering the increasing need to develop the argumentation and communication skills of the students, teaching practice has to consider how to do this concerning individual needs and preferences. Meaningful Learning proposes that education should consider the already acquired knowledge of the students in the process of building new learning. Therefore, when applied to the learning process, argumentation is a way to express acquired knowledge to other participants of this process. The Six Thinking Cards game permits students to explore their thinking in focused stages that are represented by the colors proposed in the Six Thinking Hats strategy by Edward De Bono, thus creating an environment where students have time and space to study and think about scientific concepts in a throughway. It is expected that the game also helps students develop soft skills that are considered essential for 21st century learning, such as empathy, communication, problem-solving, and teamwork. The game also adds Libras (Brazilian Sign Language) and Braille (tactile writing system) elements for accessibility purposes towards the objective of building an inclusive classroom. This game should be able to be applied in the chemistry classroom once Covid-19 hard restrictions and quarantine are over and in-person studies are permitted, allowing the authors to do qualitative and quantitative research of this proposal’s reach and relevance for beyond of the projection of this proposal. Interviews with both teachers and students are to understand better how students’ metacognitive skills improve as they engage in cooperative learning and express their ideas.