Methodology of research activities: an analysis of the teaching process of Maths teachers enrolled in the Educational Development Program

Abstract

This study presents the results of the application of Investigative Activities by Mathematics teachers,who participated in the Educational Development Program of the Education State Department of Paraná - Brazil. The study, which is part of a master’s thesis in language teaching and technologies, was conducted over a period of two years. The methodology used was inspired by reference authors like Bridge (2004), Fiorentini (2012), Skovsmose (2001) Saints and Mortimer (2002) among others. Furthermore, educational field’s official documents in Brazil were analysed, such as the National Curriculum Guidelines, the State’s Framework Directive on Mathematics Education (2008) and the current guidelines from the Framework Law of the Education System. Field research was inspired by what was presented by Fiorentini’s (2012) State of the Art, focusing the collection of published teaching resources produced by Mathematics’ teachers. After this stage, a semi-structured questionnaire surveyed eight teachers after their participation in a development teacher training course; the obtained results were analyzed, focusing the continuity of the proposed (Investigative Activities) methodology’s application in teaching. This study showed that not all participants continued to apply the Investigative Activities’ methodology in their classes as expected. Our analysis emphasizes the need to deepen theoretical and practical knowledge on Mathematics’ education from the perspective of Investigative Activities, fostering the engagement of teachers in the field, and also the importance of boosting the dissemination of this teaching methodology.