Critical Mathematics Education in a "New" High School class

Abstract

The aim of this article is to report on the work carried out in a 2nd year "New" High School Mathematics class using Critical Mathematics Education, which is one of the trends in Mathematics Education and the subject of research by scholars in this field. The Pedagogical Residency Program students developed and applied activities in a public school, addressing diverse and interdisciplinary topics in both the political and social spheres that are currently under discussion. These activities were structured on the basis of reports on the subject and through questions aimed at understanding the disparities in the various areas of society, using mathematical concepts to investigate them. This methodology, based on the statistical analysis of graphs and tables, allows us to understand how mathematical skills can be applied to interpret and solve real-world problems. The data is in line with the National Common Core Curriculum, since both Critical Mathematics Education and the normative document emphasize the importance of contextualizing mathematical content, relating it to situations in students' daily lives. This contributes to a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the concepts. In their reflections, the students came to the conclusion that mathematics related to socio-political issues is a common interest that can engage them in social issues, applications of mathematics in real contexts, as these are issues that they are already involved in on a daily basis. It was possible to conclude that Critical Mathematics Education as a teaching trend is indispensable for creating students who are open to the world, providing moments of protagonism, emphasizing their creativity, dialogicity, critical sense and not just the mere memorization of mathematical formulas and procedures.