INTRODUCTION

During the school life of people, there is always a continuous discovery, every day we go from simple things to more complex ones, among them “mathematics” are highlighted that help man understand by giving him the ability to think abstractly, face problems and make decisions in various life situations among many other utilities. For this reason, it is necessary to discover it in a fun and interesting way, with the help of technologies that is what moves the world today and captures the attention of a large part of the population. These tools help to show the great utility that the area has in many aspects of life and that is why it is necessary to stimulate mathematical thinking through the development of mental structures, which help to improve the interpretation and analysis of various daily problem situations in the search for solutions of all kinds.

Today technologies provide diverse opportunities and different styles of learning that are used to communicate, entertain, and teach among many other applications. They influence all aspects of life and offer the required information to any type of person regardless of their condition, location, or capabilities. For this reason, technological tools must be implemented in the learning process to achieve the development of logical thinking of each student.

This research project presents a proposal with a different methodology for the seventh-grade students of the IENSP in Colombia, to be carried out with the help of interactive game software, which generates a degree of satisfaction when acquiring new knowledge in the area of mathematics.

OBJECTIVES

METHODOLOGY

Today, education is a process of teacher-student interaction so that the former can make them understand and the latter can understand the world; This process is carried out with an innovative, transformative, and up-to-date teacher resulting from the observation of his students as unique and different beings. That is why qualitative research does not insist on representation but interpretation through observation and analysis of the population; it studies reality in a context, producing descriptive data and building knowledge.

As the research is qualitative, it is worth mentioning various authors on its history and definition, which are presented below. Qualitative research emerged from the birth of the human sciences in the last century and has been maintained throughout the 20th century. The heyday of the positivist current overshadowed it, however, the crisis experienced by the human sciences since the 60s and 70s and the epistemological and methodological rethinking that has been carried out from it contributed to its resurgence. (Martínez, 2011).

Two periods in the history of Qualitative Research have been known; a first period that goes from the end of the 19th century to the 1930s, where the first qualitative works are presented and various qualitative techniques such as participant observation, in-depth interviews, or personal documents acquire their maturity, the School of Chicago imposes its imprint, and the birth of the sociology of education takes place; a second period that ranges from the 1930s to the 1950s, in which there is a decline in interest in the qualitative approach. A third moment occurs around the sixties, a time marked by social change and the resurgence of qualitative methods. (Qualitative Research; n.d).

According to Bodgan and Biklen (1982), qualitative research or qualitative methodology is a research method that is based on methodological cuts based on theoretical principles such as phenomenology, hermeneutics, social interaction using data collection methods that are non-quantitative, to explore social relationships and describe reality as the corresponding ones experience; it requires a deep understanding of human behavior and the reasons that govern it (Alarcón, 2012).

According to Maanen, the qualitative method can be seen as a term that covers a series of methods and techniques with an interpretive value that aims to describe, analyze, decode, translate, and synthesize the meaning of facts that arise more or less naturally. (Maanen, 1983).

For qualitative researchers, talking about qualitative methods is talking about a way of researching social phenomena, in which certain objectives are pursued to respond to some specific problems that this research faces. (Denzin, 1994).

This approach is characterized by being descriptive, inductive, holistic, phenomenological, structural-systemic, and, above all, flexible, it emphasizes validity more than replicability, it tries first of all to identify the deep nature of realities and their dynamic structure; However, the qualitative as an integrated whole is not opposed to the quantitative, to be considered only as an aspect that it implies and integrates where necessary. (Mesías p.2).

Qualitative research is considered a way of thinking because apart from the fact that the information is gathered or collected, it must be interpreted in such a way that it contributes to the development of each of the processes that are carried out to achieve the adequate results of the research. It is fundamental since it is inductive, it analyzes realities, it explores and describes through observation and analysis, a work that is carried out daily in the Institution because what is important is what the student says, thinks, feels, and does, that is, the student is involved in the process.

They are studies of daily work carried out at the Higher Normal Educational Institution, which is interested in what the student says, thinks, feels, and does; This is why this project that involves the student, a vital part of this process, is important. What the study does is describe or generate a theory from the data obtained, how students actively participate during the process to transform reality is the most appropriate because what is intended is to see the impact that the use of technological tools to teach in a useful and fun way mathematics has in students and to develop their logical thinking.

The objective of this research is to understand the world from the point of view of those who live it. They are subject-centered research; the inquiry process is inductive and the researcher interacts with the participants and with the data, seeking answers to questions that focus on social experience, how it is created, and how it gives meaning to human life. (Taylor and Bogdan, 1984).

In qualitative research, there are descriptive and interpretive studies. Descriptive studies include ethnographic, biographical, phenomenological, and documentary designs, and action research, and interpretive studies include based theory and analytical induction. (Polit and Hungler, 2006). For this project, the descriptive approach of participation action will be used.

Participation Action research is a method of research and collective learning of reality, based on a critical analysis with the active participation of involved groups, which is aimed at stimulating the transformative practice and social change. Furthermore, it is necessary to know that it combines two processes: knowing and acting, both involving the population whose reality is being addressed. (Eizagirre and Zabala, 2019).

It is a research method in which the researcher has a double role, that of researcher and that of a participant. It combines two types of knowledge: theoretical knowledge and knowledge of a specific context. It is a method in which the validity of the results is checked as long as how many of these results are relevant to those who participate in the research process. (EcuRed, 2005).

The participation action is the research to be used since it produces knowledge and systematizes experiences to change the social situation through research where the researcher and the community are involved, the latter being the one that guides the work. This research allows that, from observation, the study of a particular situation is carried out to improve the quality of its action, which is based on a need of the involved subjects, in this case, the students of the Higher Normal Educational Institution of Pitalito.

There are many types of research, but where the community is really involved and appropriates the processes and the results is the PAR, which studies the realities of people, this type of research is concrete and is face-to-face, which leads to changes involving the entire community and any type of social class. As the name says, it is the action that is carried out taking into account the theory with the practice leading to a social transformation, taking into account reality and it is not necessary to wait until the end. PAR starts from the community to be studied, in this case, the educational community where the problem to be researched is solved by the participants themselves, that is, by the students.

This is based on a critical analysis with the active participation of involved groups that are oriented to stimulate the transformative practice and social change working two processes: knowing and acting, involving the population in both, addressing reality, and planning actions and measures that allow to improve it by combining theory and practice. This approach will allow the proposal to determine the appropriate strategies in the development of logical thinking in the area of mathematics through games and interactive software in the seventh-grade students of the Higher Normal Educational Institution.

It will be carried out in 5 phases:

1. The initial step is to analyze the role of educational actors, the content, and the environment, the result of which will be the description of a situation and its training needs.

2. According to the analysis, the proposals that take into account the pedagogical approach and the way of sequencing and organizing the content are projected.

3. The creation of the contents and learning materials based on the previous phase

4. The execution and implementation of the education action with the participation of the levels of the Educational Community.

5. The evaluation that consists of carrying out the formative evaluation of each of the phases.

To carry out the PAR in the project there are various moments such as:

The analysis implies the immersion of the problem that will be carried out through observation, that is when the behavior of the students that are going to be researched, interviews, questionnaires, and personal experiences are systematically looked at to determine the logical thinking in the area of mathematics to be able to analyze it and create an intervention plan to develop motivation and improve the results obtained.

The Design will be oriented to establish a proposal, directed towards the research problem, oriented to the use of educational software and games on platforms, taking into account the research background and the needs of the educational community.

Development is the phase in which educational software and platform games will be evaluated for their adaptation and creation of the intervention proposal.

Implementation is the start-up of the research proposal, where data is collected to evaluate the implementation, and decisions are made regarding the plan.

Evaluation is the feedback when collecting data, evaluating the plan, and reporting the results and actions to the entire educational community.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Over time, education, models, strategies, and tools have evolved to be at the forefront and face challenges of today's society; technology has transformed information showing social changes, improving education and the way of learning worldwide, articulating the apprehension of concepts with immediate reality, which leads to the formation of an integral human being.

Games are an activity used for recreation, motivation, entertainment, and fun in different moments of life; on many occasions, they are an educational tool to make classes different and livelier for the type of population being educated. Games differ from work in the way they are done, attract attention, motivate, create an application of concepts beyond solving exercises in a notebook; With games, you can determine the use of concepts in solving everyday problems and referring to the immediate social and cultural context.

For Jean Piaget (1956), games are part of the child's intelligence, because they represent the functional or reproductive assimilation of reality according to each evolutionary stage of the individual. The sensory-motor, symbolic, or reasoning capacities, as essential aspects of the development of the individual, are those that condition the origin and evolution of the game. According to Piaget's evolutionary phases, games are classified as functional, symbolic, regulated, and of construction. (p.1).

Vygotsky saw games, “as a socio-cultural instrument and resource, the joyous role of being a driving force in the child's mental development, facilitating the development of higher functions of understanding such as attention or voluntary memory; games are a changing reality and, above all, a driver of the child's mental development, concentrating attention, memorizing, and remembering is done, in games, in a conscious, fun way, and without any difficulty ”. (Vygotsky, 1924, p26).

From pedagogy and psychology, learning, if it is interactive, is long-lasting since the child externalizes his skills and abilities without the need for an order, language is facilitated, and he does not lose heart because he is not negatively called to attention. Games include essential elements that help the child's growth and this is how it is usually indicated that socialization is the most important element for the child to learn to differentiate between what is acceptable and what is not acceptable.

Interactive games allow the student to participate from his computer while learning technologically- related concepts in line with the advancement of today's world; created for all ages, and not only for the acquisition or reinforcement of knowledge but also as entertainment from anywhere in the world. Games are useful tools in the pedagogical training or teaching-learning process since they help to acquire knowledge and develop skills.

The technological tools with the interactive game are a great complement to the teaching-learning process and allow to strengthen logical thinking in students that "is the one that is acquired from the relationship between objects and leads to the individual's own elaboration" (Pérez and Merino, 2008, p15); It is a tool for human beings to solve everyday problems of all kinds through various processes, that is, logical thinking develops the ability to analyze, argue, reason, and propose, it is analytical and sequentially follows rules. For this reason, teachers are in charge of promoting activities, games, projects, and experiences that allow the development of logical thinking through exploration, observation, comparison, classification, and manipulation of objects so that the knowledge acquired is durable and can be applied in all areas of their life, especially in solving everyday problems adequately and rationally.

According to Baroody (2005), logical thinking arises when the student starts from a reflective thought, building solutions in his mind through relationships with objects, always starting from the simplest to the most complex and understanding that the acquired knowledge, once it is processed, cannot be forgotten because the experience does not come from the objects but the actions on them.

According to all this, logical thinking is useful to science, which is why it is immersed in the development of mathematics, a word that comes from Greek and means "learn," being the basis of many knowledge and, although many see it as complicated, it is easy and fun if learned correctly. As logical thinking can be developed in various fields, it is important to develop it in a science as useful as mathematics; Therefore, the strengthening of the logical thinking developed in the students will be an ally at the time of forming people with integrity and capable of living in today's society, since this area is a fundamental part of everyone's life and always accompanies us in any situation, even if it doesn't seem like it.

On the other hand, Vada (2014) “the importance of using games as a teaching tool is undeniable; Not for nothing games are the basis of all learning activities in Early Childhood Education. This didactic method helps children to develop their capacities and stimulate their interest in discovering things, since it is an activity that amuses them and which, therefore, they do not want to do without”. These are the reasons why, through this project, it is intended to strengthen logical thinking through games and the development of different activities aimed at the use of technological tools using interactive games software as the main resource.

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSIONS

Regarding the subject, it is vitally important to try to integrate more constantly and directly the use of information and communication technologies, especially educational software available on the Internet, as in this work, which highlighted the development of logical-mathematical thinking through games and in a didactic way for lasting and applicable knowledge.

It is noteworthy how the other professors in the Institution area do not use this type of tools and methodologies for teaching the topics in their classes as a method of interactive strengthening in the development of logical thinking, being a great flaw because there are various animated activities on the internet for all areas and the software are free and accessible to anyone, making students feel encouraged and the classes more fun and applied to their real environment. With a quite conclusive result according to the survey carried out to the students of the seventh grade of the Institution, which shows how 92% of them responded to their satisfaction with the implementation and use of this type of educational innovations, especially games made through software since they are simple and easy to use tools.

Thanks to the knowledge obtained throughout the development of this project, it is possible to highlight how, through the integration of the existing technology in the Institution, what the internet network currently allows, tablets, computers, and specialized software in education offer; regarding the development of the topics of the area, it is possible to create meaningful learning spaces that go from being monotonous, such as the well-known master classes, moving to more interactive ones that generate enthusiasm, curiosity, and interest in those involved and, thus, create spaces called virtual learning environments.

It was possible to determine how students are not alien to the monotony of teachers and their classes, which are not very understandable and, in many cases, the boring of the various topics that are covered in the seventh grade is highlighted, with what corresponds to mathematics, according to the results evidenced in the surveys where the vast majority of them responded that the current classes are not very motivating and to a large extent they do not understand the topics discussed.

A great shortcoming is noted, which arises from the need for the Institution to specifically incorporate technological tools and software such as sallita.net, that quiz, and pedazzitos1.2 in the classes of the area, which greatly favor the obtaining of knowledge in terms of the various subjects, so that they perform the role of reinforcing and consolidating what is given in class, encouraging logical thinking with different activities that are directed towards logic to train analytical and critical people about their knowledge. According to all this, it could be concluded that:

• The development of logical thinking improves when we articulate technological tools, educational software, and games in the application of theory with practice.

• Interactive games attract the attention of the students in the proposed subject.

• Technological tools are a motivator for obtaining new learning.

• Information and communication technologies are part of our daily lives and should not be alien to education.

• Educational software offers various options to strengthen the subjects.

• Access to technology must be increasing taking into account the large amount of information it provides.

• The use of educational software attracted the attention and motivation of the students and left a seed in the teachers to continue making use of these implements in the various areas to contribute to improving education and raising the results obtained within and outside the Institution.

• Proposing the use of educational software for the development of logical thinking was a good idea since the relationship between theory and practice was observed and created a better environment for students in the area of mathematics, who at first said they were afraid of and was boring.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES