Uma experiência de (trans)formação de uma professora de matemática: análise de um trabalho colaborativo

Abstract

In this research, I investigated the process of (trans)formation experienced by a mathematics teacher in a collaborative work. By experience, I mean something that goes through us, which happens to us and touches us. It is not something that just goes through, happens or touches. To live an experience, the subject ex-poses and opens himself to a journey without beginning or ending. The experience is formative and transformative. In this way, (trans)formation is a movement towards changing and, at the same time, a process of formation and professional de- velopment. The methodology approach was qualitative and the data were collected throughout a collaborative work stablished by the teacher and myself. Data sources were: audio recorded interviews wich I conducted with the teacher; an academic memoirs written by the teacher; electronic mails exchanged between us; meetings that we held for ve months; and classes observations carried by myself. During the collaborative work, we rst studied theoretical dis- cussions on mathematics investigations in the classroom set. In a further stage, we planned, conducted and evaluated mathematics investigation activities in the teacher classes. The data analysis was inductive. It indicated ve factors which contributed to the (trans)formation pro- cess experienced by the teacher. The rst two were related to the teacher desires. The desire of changing, related to the professional development, and the desire of sharing, related to the collaborative work. The other factors have to do with the condence to conduct investigation activities in a classroom. She felt more condent because she had the support of another mathe- matics teacher in the development of the activities, since there was an opportunity for her to discuss mathematics investigation theory and, nally, she was able to prove, empirically, the viability to use mathematics investigation in the classroom.