The power of an image in problem solving

Abstract

Currently, the teacher must be able to assume his educational practice as a basis for reflection and research, seeking to grow professionally and thus achieve greater success in children’s learning. Thus, in the context of initial teacher training, it is essential to develop processes that promote investigative skills for these future teachers. The elaboration of this article follows this conception, the result of the development of a research project implemented by the first author within the Supervised Teaching Practice of the Master in Teaching of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education (CEB) and of Mathematics and Natural Sciences in the 2nd CEB. During this formative experience, we sought to study the potential of using graphic images and / or cartoons in the statements of mathematical problems. Recognizing that the problem is essentially a story that has to make sense to the child and that it should be motivating and challenging, it was investigated how the graphic component interferes in the identification of the data, in the ability to relate and better understand the problem . In this investigative context, it was also sought to ascertain the potentialities in the use of different resolution strategies, motivating children to discover the solution (s). In this study, we opted for a qualitative-leading investigation, in a case study analysis. For the collection of data, a pre-test and a post-test were used, the productions of the children, the dialogues existing in the classroom, field notes, a questionnaire carried out to the children and, also, an interview conducted with the professor of class. Thus, it was possible to verify that the statement with graphic image and / or cartoons motivates children to discover the solution, promotes greater intellectual effort for the child to relate the problem data and draw conclusions, requiring more execution time, as well as the mobilization of different resolution strategies.