Exploração pedagógica de artefatos culturais da etnia moçambicana amákhuwa para um ensino culturamente contextualizado da matemática: uma abordagem etnomatemática

Abstract

The present study seeks didactic-pedagogical alternatives for the teaching of Mathematics. For this, we resort to some historical and cultural artifacts of the Mozambican Amakhuwa ethnicity. Throughout our experience as a mathematics teacher in secondary and university education in Mozambique, and through contact with various studies in the field of mathematics education, we have realized that the teaching-learning process of mathematics requires better pedagogical practices to face the numerous difficulties of student learning in this discipline. This research fits into a line of approach, whose main theoretical references permeate the areas of ethnomathematics and mathematics education. The development of the research took place at Escola Secundária de Monapo, district of Monapo, and Escola Secundária de Nampula, city of Nampula, Mozambique, and consisted of (i) looking for the knowledge or mathematical manifestations with which artisans use in the process of manufacturing their artifacts, the identification of possible mathematical elements incorporated into these artifacts, as well as the meaning or cultural value of each artifact studied; (ii) exhibition and analysis of artifacts in Mathematics classrooms for the recognition of possible elements, knowledge or incorporated mathematical manifestations and the identification of mathematical contents that can be treated from the artifacts, as concrete learning materials and for contextualization of the teaching and learning process of Mathematics; (iii) holding a workshop with teachers in training in the Mathematics course at the University of Rovuma (UNIROVUMA), in Mozambique, in order to raise their awareness of the possibilities of didactic exploration of artifacts and, finally, (iv) to carry out an effective pedagogical action work with the use of cultural artifacts available and duly adjusted to the previously identified contents. As for the methodological options, the research is characterized as basic, mixed, that is, qualitative and quantitative, adapting to the methods of participant observation, action research, pre-experimental and case study. We evaluated the impact of using artifacts as a resource in mathematics teaching, comparing the before and after of the pedagogical action. The research results show the existence of some mathematical knowledge used by artisans to produce their artifacts; some of these productions incorporate mathematical elements that, through their pedagogical exploration, impact students' understanding of the mathematical content, which is in agreement with our theoretical support.