ETNOMODELAGEM: FORMALIZANDO O CONCEITO DE FUNÇÃO POR MEIO DA ELABORAÇÃO DE (ETNO)MODELOS PARA PRODUÇÃO ARTESANAL DE CHOCOLATE

Abstract

This article presents an excerpt from a dissertation that aimed to analyze the development of a teaching proposal, based on Ethnomodelling, for the construction of ethnomodels for the artisanal production of chocolate, through the concept of function. This proposal was developed in a class of 28 students from the 9th grade of elementary school at a school in southern Bahia, Brazil. The research is qualitative and Content Analysis was used as a method of data analysis. This article presents the emerging category: formalizing concepts and developing ethnomodels. As a result, it was observed that emic knowledge from the factory visit allowed students to create hypotheses and systematize the production of chocolate for a certain amount of cocoa, calculating the possible profits of the settlers. Through emic ethnomodels, the participants were able to create algebraic (ethno)models (ethical and/or dialogical) to represent the factory's artisanal chocolate production. It is considered that this proposal helped students to formalize the concept of function, and contextualized use of the mathematical object, linked to the cultural aspect, contributed to the students becoming involved in the teaching and learning process, in the construction of autonomy, and overcoming difficulties in interacting with different types of people.