Números: o (des)conhecimento docente de uma escola pública

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the numerical knowledge of five teachers from a Maceió’s public elementary school use of teaching numbers to their students. This research was outlined in a qualitative approach in which case study was adopted. This work took as data base the information expressed in a focal group session, in which, yonder the discussion about the teacher’s numerical knowledge, also was analized the activities done by the students, with the focus on the teachers reflection about their actions in class. To support this work it was used theoretically studies of Shulman (2005), Ponte, Matos & Abrantes (1998), Kamii (1990), Nunes & Bryant (1996) and Pires (2000).The qualitative data analysis denounced the conceptual weakness of numbers from the teachers who participated in the research and, consequently, the difficulty of students numbers understanding. The study also demonstrated that the pedagogical practices of those teachers are still anchored in the school curriculum of classical Mathematics, by being guided in memorization and mechanization of rules, without the appropriation of concepts.