Profissionais fazendo matemÃtica: o conhecimento de nÃmeros decimais de alunos pedreiros e marceneiros da educaÃÃo de jovens e adultos

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2007

RESUMO

In the present study, we looked into the mathematical knowledge of teenager and adult students in the initial process of schooling, that are bricklayers and carpenters, about decimal numbers. The aim is to identify personal strategies used by these students in solving mathematical problems involving decimal numbers, as well as to observe the possibility of application of the knowledge used in solving a familiar context situation (civil engineering or carpentry) to other situations that involved less or not-familiar-at-all contexts (civil engineering or carpentry and agriculture) to the students. A significant amount of research has already been performed about decimal numbers. Among them can be found Porto (1995); Silva, Silva, Borba, Aguiar and Lima (2000); Rodrigues (2003); Cunha and Magina (2004); NEPEM (2004); Borba, Selva, Spinillo and Souza (2004); Selva and Borba (2005); and Silva (2006). Few studies, however, focused the teenager and adult student in initial process of schooling and this study proposed investigating the knowledge of decimal numbers amongst these pupils. Eight students took part in the investigation, four bricklayers and four carpenters, students of Modules I and II in Teenager and Adult Initial Education. The participants solved 12 problems, involving the concept of decimal numbers related to the concepts of area and perimeter. Data was collected through piagetian clinical interviews, because we aimed to understand the calculation strategies used by the students to arrive to the solutions of the proposed problems. In a general way, the results of this study revealed that the bricklayers and carpenters, students who took part in the study, with no formal instruction on decimal numbers, solved successfully the proposed problems by using references of their own professional experiences, and it was made clear that they possess an excellent understanding of this concept, as well as of the concepts of area and perimeter, evidenced by the implicit comprehension demonstrated in the choice of correct solution strategies the participants, in a general way, used the conventional algorithm and written calculation for performing the operations with decimal numbers, but in some situations, they decided to develop some personal heuristics, specially when subtraction was involved. The participants applied the knowledge about decimal numbers in the less or not-familiar-at-all situations as well, evidencing the possibility of transference and development of the knowledge already shown by the students. The results of the research point to the need of rescuing and valuing of the knowledge of mathematical concepts of teenagers and adults in initial process of schooling, specifically, the understanding of decimal numbers, in the school context; and at the possibility of an intercultural dialogue between scientific knowledge and the one base on professional practice (considered âpopularâ) in the classroom, by possibly making it possible the exchange of knowledge, the mutual cooperation among students and between students and teachers, and mainly development in the learning of the concept of decimal numbers

ASSUNTO(S)

nÃmeros decimais mathematical education educacao teenager and adult initial schooling decimal numbers educaÃÃo matemÃtica professional practice prÃtica profissional educaÃÃo de jovens e adultos

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