TEACHING COMPUTING IN ELEMENTARY GRADES OF BASIC EDUCATION: A TEACHER TRAINING PROPOSAL
Computer education. Basic Education. Game-based learning. Computational Thinking.
The presence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education has expanded the possibilities of the teaching and learning process. Over time, several institutions have issued guidelines for the integration of ICT in classrooms. In Brazil, this issue has been debated since before the implementation of the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) and, more recently, in Resolution CNE/CEB 01/2022, which includes the need for continuous training of teachers for teaching Computing in Education Basic. In this context, it is crucial to select technical and pedagogical approaches that support teachers in this endeavor. This study aims to analyze the impact of continuous teacher training to teach computing in the initial grades of elementary school, based on current regulations. The research is classified as exploratory and applied, and the data was analyzed using qualitative methods. In order to achieve the established general objective, a pedagogical intervention was carried out in the form of a course aimed at teachers at a private school in Natal/RN. The training covered legal aspects, the relationship between education, technology and society, computing teaching and its three guiding axes, with an emphasis on computational thinking. The teaching approach used was based on games, where participants developed an "unplugged" game with the aim of identifying the principles of computational thinking in their practice and relating them to the school routine, establishing connections with other subjects in elementary school - years Initials. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire with open and closed questions, group discussions and observations of meetings recorded in a diary. The training course, together with its materials, constitutes the technical and technological product of this study, which, after demonstrating its effectiveness, may be made available to teachers already trained or in training. This research contributes significantly to the development of teacher training in computing education, particularly with regard to the computational thinking axis, in basic education.