Educação matemática em uma escola do campo multisseriada: um olhar sobre os foregrounds de estudantes de Seropédica/RJ

Abstract

Countryside populations have historically been neglected by the Brazilian State, which systematically promotes exclusions whose forms of manifestation can be explicit or subtle. Thus, the development of a critical stance is extremely important for the development of better living conditions for these people, for the preservation of their culture, and for fostering broader future perspectives. The objective of this work is to investigate how the relationship of children from a multigrade countryside school with mathematics is present in the construction of these students' future perspectives (foregrounds). To achieve the proposed objectives, this study drew inspiration from participatory research and adopted a qualitative approach, in order to deeply understand the issues raised. To substantiate the research claims, official documents such as the school's Political Pedagogical Project, the Municipal Education Plan, and the Operational Guidelines for Basic Education in Countryside Schools were consulted. The research fieldwork was developed in a countryside school organized in multigrade/multiyear classes. The study began with a literature review, and semi structured interviews were conducted with two multigrade class teachers and the school principal. In a later stage, the researcher participated as an observer in some classes of the groups in question that involved mathematical knowledge. Finally, a conversation circle was held in which students shared their vision of mathematics through drawings, spoke about their future expectations, and how they see (or don't see) the connection between mathematics and these expectations. The results show divergences regarding the appropriate pedagogical intentionality for the countryside school, whereas the pedagogical practice is influenced by deficiencies in teacher formation and by traditional mathematics teaching. In this context, it was found that the activities used in classes suggest the prevalence of the exercise paradigm to the detriment of activities with an investigative approach. Consequently, the students demonstrated an appropriation of mathematics in a strictly procedural and instrumental sense and had difficulties articulating mathematical knowledge with their foregrounds, which in turn are influenced by local references and consumer desires. In general, it was possible to ascertain the view of mathematics as a tool for daily personal and professional life in the countryside, as well as a gateway to opportunities to improve living conditions. Such a conception was not associated with the intention of abandoning their region of origin for urban areas, which indicates possible effects of a work of memory and rooting carried out by the school.