PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF MATHEMATICS TEACHERS: CHALLENGES AND POSSIBILITIES IN A CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSE

Abstract

This study presents part of an ongoing doctoral research in the field of Education, which investigates the professional development of mathematics teachers in the context of continuing education, in interface with collaborative work developed in a university extension action. The main objective of the research is to identify and understand the formative challenges, limits, and possibilities provided by these moments of interaction among participating teachers. The research is inserted in the area of teacher education and work, based on studies by Tardif (2010) and Shulman (1987), among others. It is a qualitative research, whose data were produced in the context of a continuing education course, in which 12 teachers who teach mathematics in basic education voluntarily participated. The course was developed in partnership with the State University of Minas Gerais (UEMG/Carangola Unit) and is part of the university extension project "Methodological Trends in Nowadays: A New Look at Mathematics Teaching in Basic Education". The action research approach was used, and the course aimed to consolidate and deepen pedagogical, methodological, and curricular knowledge of mathematics, as well as to foster the exchange of experiences and the organization and systematization of shared knowledge. An initial analysis of the data produced indicates that one of the biggest concerns or problems faced by the group participants is directly related to the lack of interest of students in learning mathematical content. We also noticed that, on several occasions, the group discussions returned to the mathematical content of the basic curriculum. In these moments, both teachers and the researcher exposed their ideas and knowledge about the topic under discussion and what would be the best way to approach it in the classroom. In several meetings, it was possible to perceive in the narratives the need to talk to 'colleagues' about their practice. The initial studies indicate that the group participants experienced a significant process of (re)signification of practice.