O ensino da tabuada de multiplicação nos anos inicias do ensino fundamental: uma análise sob a perspectiva do contrato didático.

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze how teachers work with multiplication tables in the early years of elementary education in a school located in Cajazeiras-PB municipality. To do so, we based our theoretical framework on the following discussions: (a) Didactic Contract and the Teacher-Student Relationship Mediated by Knowledge, where we discuss the concept of Didactic Contract and its influence in the classroom; and (b) The multiplication tables in the school context: considerations about the knowledge at hand, exploring important aspects related to the teaching of multiplication tables in the classroom environment. The central problem of the research is to investigate how teachers in the early years of elementary education are teaching the multiplication tables. This stems from the hypothesis that the multiplication tables are fundamental for most Mathematical content, with the memorization of the tables being essential for the later development of the subject. This fact has sparked concerns about understanding the ways in which this topic is approached in the classroom with students. The methodology adopted was based on empirical research of a qualitative nature, conducted in a public educational institution, with a participating subject being an active teacher in a 5th-grade class. The main instrument/technique for data production and capture was videography of the classes. Through the analysis of the generated data, classroom interactions and the didactic decisions made by the teacher (referred to by us as Amethyst) regarding the teaching of multiplication tables were examined, leading to the identification of some elements that were defining for the understanding of teachers' attitudes when teaching this content in Mathematics classes. The study showed that an investigation based on the phenomenon of the Didactic Contract allowed for a detailed analysis of the teaching of multiplication tables, revealing the importance of making the teaching and learning process of fundamental multiplication facts meaningful, which can sometimes overly focus on memorization at the expense of understanding the underlying concepts at ‘play’.