Investigando saberes de professores do Ensino Fundamental com enfoque em números fracionários para a quinta série

Abstract

This research is about the conceptions of a group of Mathematics teachers about fractional numbers and fifth grade students, and about the autonomy and difficulties in possible changes of those conceptions in a continuous formation. The study is justified by the lack of researches on fractional numbers with teachers of the final cycles of Middle School, which allow teachers the access to the results of research. Although there are results regarding the students lack of knowledge and possible obstacles to the teaching and learning of that topic, it is necessary to observe the conditions in which formative actions make changes possible in those teachers educational practices. Thereby, this paper answers the following questions: which didactics organization do the teachers build for the teaching of fractional numbers for the fifth series of Middle School during the formation? Is it possible to lead mathematics teachers to reflections that make changes possible in the conceptions that they have about their students providing them a new place in the school institution? Is it possible, in a continuous formation, to promote actions that allow teachers any change in their practice of teaching fractional numbers to the fifth grade? The methodology adopted used the research-action in the sense of collaborative investigation, because it promotes the interaction between researcher and teachers in formation and the observation in action. As theoretical foundation, the Anthropological Theory of the Didactics of Chevallard (1999) was mainly used to model while Mathematical Organization and Organization Didactic types of tasks that associate the conceptions of fractional numbers: part-all, measurement, quotient, rate and operator, besides possible techniques for the resolution of those tasks and the technological-theoretical speech that justify them. In general, we can say that teachers build, for the fifth series, Mathematical Organizations for very rigid fractional numbers with types of tasks that associate mainly the conception part-all in contexts of surfaces, using the technique of the double counting of the parts and, with less incidence, the rate conception using the same technique. Changes are verified in the feelings and teachers emotions in relation to the fractional ones that propitiated changes in their conceptions of that content, and some signs of changes in their teaching practices. Changes in the teachers speech were also observed regarding their students learning and the way to observe them in action, unchained by the application of a Didactics Organization elaborated during the formation in fifth grade class. The formation showed the need to develop autonomy and reflection regarding the content and of their own educational practices.