Reflexão sobre a Matemática e seu processo de Ensino-aprendizagem: implicações na (re)elaboração de concepções e Prática de Professores.

Abstract

This study aims to go deeper into the understanding of how important reflection is for the development of the teacher s practice. The produced surveys concerning this perspective the epistemology of the practice have realized that the exercise of reflection/reflective practice presents an outstanding role in the initial and continuous formation and as regards understanding the educational practice. Nevertheless, there is little information referring to the reflection role in the development of conceptions about Mathematics and its teaching. The objective of this research was to investigate the teachers´ reflective thinking about Mathematics and its teaching-learning process and its importance in the (re)elaboration of its conceptions. The investigation had the purpose to answer the following questions: What is the importance of reflection for the thinking and action development of the teacher who teaches Mathematics in the first years of Elementary School? Which reflection model(s) should encompass this teacher s practice? Which reflective practice contributes for the (re)elaboration of the teacher s conceptions about Mathematics and its teaching? Does the register practice about the student s mathematical learning contribute for the acquisition and understanding of new pedagogical learning and knowledge? Hence, this research is, initially, based on the reflection concept presented by the philosopher John Dewey (1959), in his work How we think, and in the outcome for the term pointed out by Schön (1983,2000), Shulman (1987), Moraes (1997) and Chardin (2006). Then, the understanding of the term is enlarged taking into account the emancipatory-critical reflection advocated by Car (1996), Kar and Kemmis (1998), Giroux (1986; 1992; 1997), Zeichner (1993a, 1993b) and Contreras (2002). This work has as starting point that reflection/reflective practice enables the (re)elaboration of conceptions about Mathematics and its teaching-learning process and, thus, it provides new understanding manners about what and how to teach this subject. It uses both qualitative research and interpretative method approaches in order to analyze the reflection content of six teachers, from the first years of Elementary School, about Mathematics and its teachinglearning process. The instruments used for the analysis were observation, interviews and documental analysis classroom registers and assessment files. It points out the following results: the teachers use the conceptions acquired during the basic and initial formation in order to guide the educational practice. The (re) elaboration of conceptions about Mathematics and its teaching is triggered by a cyclic movement, being initiated by the reflection about action and, thus, being further accomplished during the continuous formation by means of collective reflection about the teaching-learning process of this subject. It can be concluded that collective reflection promotes change in the teachers´ conceptions about Mathematics and its teaching. In this sense, the investigation is an interesting way for discussions related to the teacher s thinking about Mathematics and its teaching, the development and understanding of practice, knowledge and learning as well as teachers´ formation.