Math Adventure: workshops as a strategy for teaching and learning mathematics in the light of Conceptual Fields Theory

Abstract

This study reports on how the Conceptual Fields Theory underpinned the understanding of mathematical learning in pedagogical workshops conducted by master's students and a teacher at an educational institution in Montes Claros, Minas Gerais. The activity, called "Mathematical Adventure: Rotation through the Land of Numbers and Shapes", was carried out with students from the first year of Primary School as part of the celebrations for International Mathematics Day. The theory was used to analyze the students' strategies, identifying which operative invariants, that is, which theorems-in-action and concepts-in-action were mobilized by them in carrying out the activities. The results indicate that the workshops encouraged more engaged and meaningful learning, highlighting the importance of playful and contextualized pedagogical strategies for teaching mathematical concepts, evidencing their relevance in the contemporary educational context.