"Vou te ensinar um pouquinho de matemática": práticas de numeramento de crianças de 5 e 6 anos em diferentes momentos da rotina escolar na Educação Infantil

Abstract

In this research, we investigated situations that stimulate the discursive practice of numeracy in children aged 5 and 6, enrolled in a kindergarten in the Municipal Public School System in Belo Horizonte, MG. We adopted a qualitative approach, utilizing video footage, photographs, audio recordings and a diary to collect the data. We observed different moments in the school routine, selecting three specific situations for analysis: waiting times (entry, exit and breaks between activities), a storytelling circle with the book Tea at Ten (2009), written by Celso Sisto, and a “make-believe” game with stuffed animals. The children's narratives were analyzed based on conceptions of numeracy and studies on Early Childhood Education and Mathematics Education. The empirical material generated not only contributed to the construction of this thesis, but also led to the creation of an Educational Resource: a literary kit made up of three books that present the children's narratives about numbers in everyday situations. We observed that, when interacting in a variety of social contexts, children appropriate numbering practices through social activities. These practices, expressed in the narratives, involve quantifying, ordering, measuring, classifying and organizing, among other mathematical activities. With this research, we aim to help early childhood educators recognize the importance of numeracy practices, valuing children as subjects who bring a great deal of knowledge to the classroom.