Aprendizagem significativa do conceito de polígono: uma sequência didática para o sexto ano do ensino fundamental

Abstract

The present work, characterized as teacher research, aims to analyze the contributions of a conceptual didactic sequence - composed by a sequence of activities of recognition, definition, analysis of some properties, construction and classification of polygons - directed to students of the sixth year of elementary school. Specifically it is still intended to describe the activities and their application in the classroom; analyze the significant potential of the didactic sequence, especially the logical and hierarchical structure of the proposed activities; analyze some characteristics related to the student, such as predisposition and prior knowledge mobilized during the application of the sequence and analyze the representations produced by the students during the application of the sequence (semiotic representation records). In addition to the description of the activities and their application to 32 students at the school where the researcher acted as teacher, both the characteristics of the material and those related to the students were analyzed, based on David Ausubel's theory of meaningful learning and the more specific aspects of this theoretical perspective treated by Juan Ignacio Pozo and that refer to the process of teaching and learning concepts. In addition, the written productions of students throughout the activities were analyzed as registers of semiotic representation according to the theory proposed by Raymond Duval. From the analysis of the presented material and the manifestations and productions of the students obtained along the application of the sequence, it was considered that there are indicatives that some conditions for the significant learning of the concept of polygon have been satisfied. Regarding the records of semiotic representation, it was considered that the use of several possibilities of figurative representations seems to have made possible the apprehensions and conducted the mathematical reasoning necessary for learning in geometry. After applying and analyzing the data obtained in this work, an educational product was made up of a didactic sequence on polygons and some orientations to the teacher with the intention that it could be applied to students from the sixth to the ninth year of teaching fundamental.