Aprendizagem significativa de geometria do 8. ano do ensino fundamental: uma experiência além do material instrucional

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the development of significative learning by 8th grade students in terms of the teaching of triangles and its properties. The research was based on the Van Hiele Theory to determine the level of learning before and after the application of a didactic sequence in parallel to the traditional of Geometry. The didactic sequence was designed in order to induce the student to understand the characteristic properties of triangles and their generalization for any triangle and to reach the conclusion of the necessary and sufficient conditions for the congruence of triangles. Considering the perspective of Zabala (1998) on didactic sequences, it was necessary to create a block of activities in order to explore the characteristic concepts of triangles, providing Meaningful Learning, according to Ausubel and Skemp. In the first stage of the research, we applied a pre-test based on the Van Hiele Theory to verify the students' previous knowledge about triangles and quadrilaterals. In addition, students responded to a discursive activity to consolidate the level reached by each of them. Based on the results obtained, we developed a didactic sequence according to the level of geometric thinking of most of the class, to be applied in parallel with the handouts adopted by the school. The activities of the applied didactic sequence differed from the instructional text by the use of concrete material and the constant demand for arguments and justifications. After some time a post-test was applied, showing the progress of 71% of the pupils of the class in the levels of van Hiele attained. Moreover, comparing with the results of the same test in another group who did not experience the didactic sequence, it was possible to verify a significant difference in the retention of learning of the pupils of the experimental group. This indicates that the activities of the didactic sequence have contributed for the pupils to achieve a significant learning. After some time it was possible to verify the learning retention, allowing the conclusion that the students achieved a significant learning, according to the responses to a post-test.