Math, children, and digital victories: the software that wants to turn a class into a mission
Leandro Alves Ferreira Santos defended at FCTE/UnB an undergraduate thesis developing gamified software to support math teaching for children — a territory poorly served by edtech products.
Brasília, December 8, 2017
If motivation is low in the classroom, that deficit tends to hit earlier among children — and harder in math. The undergraduate thesis defended in December 2017 by Leandro Alves Ferreira Santos starts from that diagnosis and responds with a gamified software aimed at math teaching for early school years — advised by Prof. Sergio Antônio Andrade de Freitas .
The work touches two classic problems at once. The first is pedagogical: students and teachers face vague objectives and dwindling engagement. The second is supply: despite the abundance of educational technology, children receive little attention beyond drill-and-practice apps. By betting on Gamification , the author targets mechanics capable of sustaining interest — rewards, progression, missions — without forgetting that content is the centerpiece, not the scenery.
The research connects with active learning as the interaction with the software invites children to experiment and self-correct, rather than merely responding to closed questions. It is a concrete contribution to an age group where today’s pedagogical decisions shape long-term relationships with mathematical thinking.
The full text — written in Portuguese — is available at the UnB Undergraduate Theses Digital Library.
About CEDIS: The Center for Studies, Development, and Innovation in Software (CEDIS), linked to the University of Brasília, researches and develops innovative software solutions.