A metacognição no livro didático de matemática : um olhar sobre os números racionais

Abstract

The present study aimed to investigate the extent to which the activities of mathematics textbooks could favor the development of students' metacognitive strategies during its resolution. We direct our focus to the rational numbers, for being a very present content in students' daily lives, and even then, be a content that generates many learning difficulties. Decided to investigate two math textbooks approved by PNLD/2011 with different perspectives regarding to a teaching methodology, one more attuned to the new conceptions of teaching (LD 1) and other more traditional (LD 2). To answer our research question, initially we selected in the evaluation form of mathematics textbooks from the Guide PNLD/2011, the activities and skills that, in our view, could favor the development of metacognition. Then we seek to categorize activities selected according to the categories proposed by Araújo (2009). Following this analysis, we found that the two books surveyed offer few activities that may favor the development of metacognitive strategies, because the LD 1 only 7.87% of the activities of the chapters related to rational numbers were classified, while in LD 2 this number was lower, accounting for only 4.03% of the activities that may favor the development of metacognition. According to the categories of Araújo (2009), the few activities proposed by this material that favor metacognition propose reflections regarding the mathematical rules in 1st place (metacognitive strategies in order of procedure), followed by strategies that lead to reflections related to understanding the problem (strategies of the order of understanding the problem). We do not found the activities in the personal category, but on the other hand, we found problems that beckon metacognitive strategies in the sense of knowledge of knowledge itself, which did not appear in Araújo’s research (2009), and add these findings to its rating. Therefore, the results show that the two math textbooks surveyed bring in their chapters related to rational numbers, few activities that may favor the development of metacognitive strategies. However it is important to remember that the textbook is just a tool used by the teacher, then the development of metacognition in students will be dependent on the way the teacher uses this book and the activities proposed for this material.