Narrativas de três professores iniciantes sobre aprender e ensinar matemática nos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental

Abstract

The present dissertation aims to answer the research problem: how do beginning teachers understand the processes of teaching and learning mathematics in the early years when narrating about their teaching experience? The general objective is, therefore, to understand the beginning of a career, based on the narratives of three teachers who work in the early years, teaching and learning mathematics. For the theoretical basis we took as a reference the contributions of Vygotsky, D'Ambrosio, Moura, and Rego, who argue about human development and mathematics education from a cultural-historical perspective; Garcia, Imbernón, Shulman, Day, Nóvoa, Roldão, and Gatti, who address teacher education and cycles of teachers' professional development, with emphasis on beginning teachers; Nacarato, Mengali, Passos, Nacarato, Moura, and Palma, who discuss the professional formation of mathematics teachers. This qualitative research was based on the methodological assumptions of narrative research proposed by Connelly and Clandinin. The research involved beginning teachers with up to four years of experience in teaching, egresses of the Pedagogy course at the Federal University of Mato Grosso, who teach in the early years of the municipal education network of Cuiabá, approved in the public competition of the mentioned network, held in 2015. The procedure adopted to locate the participating teachers was through a search in the official journal of inducted professionals, and then, after finding the contacts of some teachers, we made the invitation and the agreement was made official by three teachers. Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the narrative interviews were carried out through digital means (WhatsApp application). The researcher's field diary, the formative dossiers from the end of the Pedagogy course, and three texts from a participant's personal blog were also sources of information. The composition of the narratives, about how they understand the processes of teaching and of learning mathematics in the early years, was organized in two thematic axes: the formative basilar phase - Unique life stories - and the professional phase - Living and telling the beginning of teaching, the latter contemplating the formative movements, pedagogical practice and challenges of the beginning of the career. Among some results are the naturally challenging tensions of the beginning of the career, the intense learning in the school environment, the teaching practice organized based on the demands of the school, the students, and the system; the mobilized and expanded specific mathematical and pedagogical knowledge, the use of several sources of research in the mathematics lessons planning, the little focus on the mathematics field in the continuing education programs. Among some obstacles are the emphasis on language in the early years to the detriment of other areas of knowledge, insecurity, conflicting socialization with managers and other teachers, and little experience in dealing with the different mathematical rhythms and knowledge of students.