Processos formativos em matemática de alunas-professoras dos anos iniciais em um curso a distância de Pedagogia

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the mathematics formative processes of Early Years students-teachers in an online Pedagogy course taking the following question into consideration: What formative processes are evidenced by students-teachers when inserted in specific mathematical disciplines in an online Pedagogy course? Our theoretical framework discusses the concepts of: professional development, knowledge base for teaching, reflection, autonomy, interaction, collaboration, dialogue, among others. To begin the development of the qualitative study, we contacted, via email, the first group of students who had attended the disciplines Languages of Mathematics 1 and 2 and Supervised Practice 1 and 2 and asked them to answer a characterization questionnaire. Nine students, who were already teachers in kindergarten and/or in Early Years, were the subjects of the research due to our assumption that the formative processes they experienced could have contributed to their professional development, promoting the learning of mathematical content, as well as the learning of teaching skills. Because of them being students of the course who already worked as teachers, we described them in the text as students-teachers. For data collection, we used the activities developed during the mentioned subjects and semi-structured interviews which were conducted via Skype or Messenger. Data analysis was conducted based on the theory of content analysis and two themes emerged with subcategories: Relationship with mathematics and its teaching and learning composed of The narratives of the students-teachers and Indications of changes and; Mathematics formative processes included the subcategories Different writing in the disciplines, Interactions and mediations in the virtual environment, Readings and reflective process on practice and Teaching in supervised practices. The results showed that the students-teachers had some small changes in their beliefs about mathematics, its teaching and learning, the classroom practices, their feelings regarding mathematics and the teacher-student relationship. Moreover, the formative processes they experienced promoted the (re)construction and (re)signification of the mathematical content studied and provided the learning of teaching practices. The printed material used in the disciplines, the activities, the interactions that occurred between the students-teachers and their classmates when participants proposed questions, discussed the mathematical concepts and peer feedback and shared classroom practices, as well as the mediations conducted by tutors were fundamental for this to happen. The analysis also indicated that they increased their knowledge base for teaching and mobilized the process of pedagogical reasoning to develop activities concerning mathematical content for the supervised teaching practice, the ways of working it with students and aspects of lesson planning such as unexpected situations that may occur and the timing for completion of activities.