História de práticas de ensinar-aprender Matemática no Colégio Técnico da UFMG: COLTEC (1969-1997)

Abstract

In this work, we construct a history of the practices of teaching and learning mathematics in Colégio Técnico (Coltec), which is part of the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Various sources are drawn on, including the testimonies of former mathematics teachers and former students, to illustrate the practices, experiences and conceptions of mathematics teaching and learning in this institution, from the time of its establishment in 1969 to 1997. Printed and scanned materials in numerous archives and public libraries were consulted for information relating to the school and our interviewees. We spoke with the first principal of Colégio Tecnico, seven mathematics teachers and eight former students regarding the foundation of the school and the methodologies, resources and didactic materials employed there. These conversations were recorded and transcribed and resulted in sixteen narratives. Our work makes reference to authors who have written about oral history, the constitution of sources, memories, remembrance and forgetfulness. We characterize Colégio Tecnico, including aspects of its trajectory, with an emphasis on the early years, in order to better understand the research environment; teachers (the recruitment policy, training, professional development, conceptions of teaching and participation in training courses taught by other teachers); students (their level of interest in school, choice of a technical orientation, professional trajectories of graduates and the students sociability); and the practices of teaching and learning mathematics, which are at the heart of our research. We emphasize that our understanding of these practices goes beyond the teachers work in the classroom. Hence, we discuss various elements, such as the curriculum; the routine; the decisions made by teachers based on their beliefs, objectives, action plans, resources created and used; the relationship between Technical Teaching and Mathematics Teaching; what has changed and what has remained the same in the way in which mathematics is taught, even if all of these elements have been distorted over time. Our results show that, in spite of teachers attempts to rethink and improve their practices, rarely has an approach been devised specifically for the purposes of technical courses.