Ensino de matemática na educação infantil: análise das propostas de formação continuada da rede municipal de Uberlândia/MG

Abstract

Grounded in the Graduate Program in Basic Education (Professional Master's Degree) at the Federal University of Uberlândia, this dissertation aimed to analyze and compare the continuing education proposals for Early Childhood Education teachers in the Municipal System of Uberlândia, from 2020 to 2023, with the guidelines set by the Municipal Curricular Guidelines (DCMs Portuguese acronym) for teaching Mathematics. In the context of Early Childhood Education, Mathematics is understood as a language integrated into interactions and play, fostering curiosity, investigation, and the development of logical-mathematical thinking. Within the DCMs, this conception is reflected in the field of experiences "Spaces, times, quantities, relations, and transformations," articulated with the other curricular languages. The research adopts a qualitative approach based on documentary analysis, with data collected from the Julieta Diniz Center for Educational Studies and Projects (CEMEPE Portuguese acronym) and the Teacher Training Investigation Group (GIFOP Portuguese acronym), which maintains a collaborative record of the network's training actions. Twenty-six continuing education plans and the DCMs were analyzed and systematized into descriptive tables, allowing for an inductive analysis organized into three analytical axes: (1) Early Childhood Education policies and guidelines; (2) continuing education in Early Childhood Education; and (3) teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood Education, which enabled an alignment between the normative content of the documents and their implications for training practices. The results indicate that, although the DCMs propose Mathematics as a language constructed through interactions and play, there is a gap between this conception and the actual training actions, in which the area occupied a secondary and unsystematic role. As an educational product, a Guidance Guide for Pedagogical Analysts of the municipality of Uberlândia was developed, focused on training preschool teachers (ages 4 and 5) for teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood Education. The material aims to support formative mediation with teachers, linking theoretical and normative foundations to the pedagogical practices of teaching Mathematics. Participatory validation was conducted with Early Childhood Education trainers from CEMEPE and demonstrated broad agreement regarding the relevance and applicability of the material for continuing education. It is concluded that, despite the theoretical consistency of the DCMs, the continuing education proposals do not incorporate them systematically, which limits theoretical-methodological progress and the consolidation of intentional practices in teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood Education.