As part of the Erasmus+ ODDience 2030 project, teachers Naseema Saiyad and Manuela Lopes have been developing the “Polarity Game” prototype at the Agrupamento de Escolas de Albufeira, applied to vocational high school students. This prototype was built with the orientation of Andreea Gatman and translated into Portuguese by our team, with the agreement of Act On Learning.

In its initial phase, the prototype faced challenges, as students showed low motivation in its implementation. However, with the support of the Erasmus team, the game has been continuously improved and adapted, considering the difficulties encountered during its application.

One of the key adaptations involved a shift in approach: instead of engaging in self-reflective tasks, which initially caused discomfort and difficulty, and following the advice of teacher Maria, students were encouraged to create fictional characters. With this, students followed the curriculum of the subject (Portuguese) and, at the same time, got involved in the development SEL (Self Emotional Learning)

This new approach has facilitated expression of the students ‘emotions, enhanced creativity, fostered critical thinking, thus allowing a more natural connection to emotional intelligence.

Results so far show that this strategy has been crucial in motivating students, making learning more engaging and meaningful.

This work continues to be a valuable contribution to the development of critical thinking and creativity, which are essential pillars of the ODDience 2030 project.