O uso da calculadora na Educação Básica: (re)significações das concepções do professor de matemática a partir de uma formação continuada

Abstract

This doctoral thesis was developed within the Graduate Program in Science Education and Mathematics Education (PPGECEM) at the State University of Western Paraná (UNIOESTE), in the Mathematics Education research line, and is affiliated with the Research Group Interfaces in Mathematics Education (GPIEM), within the Teacher Education research strand. Calculators are currently tools available in a wide range of models, offering a large number of functions and easy access, as they are also available as applications on smartphones, tablets, and computers. However, through a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), we identified that their use in mathematics teaching is not a consensus among Brazilian teachers and, among other findings, we observed indications of a gap in teacher education regarding the use of calculators in the classroom. Thus, in this doctoral research, we sought to answer the following question: How can an in-service teacher education program, designed based on a didactic sequence involving the use of calculators, contribute to the (re)signification of mathematics teachers’ conceptions regarding the use of calculators in the classroom? This study is characterized as qualitative research involving a field study with pedagogical intervention, carried out through the implementation of an in-service teacher education program for teachers who teach mathematics in Basic Education. Data was produced through questionnaires, field notes, audio and video recordings, and the development of didactic sequences. The teacher education program was structured around a didactic sequence that integrates the use of calculators into the teaching of Arithmetic Progressions (AP) and Geometric Progressions (GP), with the calculator used as a tool to support the identification of mathematical patterns and the construction of algebraic formulas for the general term of both AP and GP. During the program, participating teachers designed and implemented their own didactic sequences and shared the experiences they encountered in their teaching practice. For data analysis, based on the literature and on the data produced, we defined four conceptions regarding the use of calculators in mathematics classes. Through Content Analysis, we found that: (a) the three participating teachers showed evidence of the four conceptions concerning the use of calculators and of their (re)signification throughout the teacher education program; and (b) the in-service teacher education program conducted within the school environment, with the support of the researcher, promoted (re)significations in the conceptions and teaching practices of the participating teachers regarding the use of calculators in mathematics classes in Basic Education.