GEOMETRY AND GEOMETRIC THINKING IN INITIAL EDUCATION OF TEACHERS WHO TEACH MATHEMATICS

WHAT BRAZILIAN RESEARCHES REVEAL

Abstract

: This article discusses approaches regarding the teaching of geometry in the initial education of teachers who teach mathematics (TTM), as well as characterizations of geometric thinking and main theoretical contributions, present in Brazilian theses and dissertations published in the period 2009–2020. For constituting the corpus of analysis, a mapping of dissertations and theses from the Brazilian Postgraduate Programs Stricto Sensu, from the Education and Teaching Areas, was carried out on the digital platform of the Theses and Dissertations Catalog of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel and in the catalog of the Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, totaling 18 researches. It is observed that representations of geometric figures, such as drawings, software, and manipulable material, are often used to approach geometry in the initial education of TTM. Such representations are explored to: identify concepts or properties perceptually; solve problem situations; verify or study geometric properties, proofs, and demonstrations. Recently, there has been a growing search for discussions and characterizations of geometric thinking, although they are still incipient. Raymond Duval and Pierre van Hiele were privileged as authors of reference in the analyzed works. The teaching of geometry and geometric thinking in the initial education of TTM are subjects that are still little investigated in Brazilian dissertations and theses. Discussing visual approaches articulated with characterizations of geometric thinking can be a fertile field for working with geometry in the initial education of TTM.