“The ball my brother plays with looks like a circle": van Hiele's Model and Geometric Thinking in children in the second period of Early Childhood Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to present a mathematical workshop held with 17 five-year-olds from the second period of Early Childhood Education in a public school in the municipality of Montes Claros - Minas Gerais, and to analyze how the van Hiele Model underpinned these children's understanding of learning Geometry. This practice, which lasted 1 hour 40 minutes, was developed and conducted by two master's students from the Postgraduate Program in Education at the State University of Montes Claros, as part of a proposal for the subject Pedagogical Practice in Mathematics. Therefore, interested in this analysis, the Geometric Thinking mobilized by the children during the application and discussion of the workshop entitled Logical Sequences was investigated. The results of the workshop indicate that the children satisfactorily reached level 1, called Visualization, of the van Hiele Model. There was also a stimulus for the participants to mobilize learning that was more engaged, meaningful and linked to everyday life. This practical experience highlights the importance of pedagogical approaches that combine playful and contextualized elements for teaching mathematical concepts.