Brazilian Society of Mathematics Education: A History of Math Educators and Prospective Math Educators in the Rio Grande do Norte Region
SBEM/RN. Teacher Education. History of Mathematics Education. Mathematics Licensure. UFRN.
This dissertation, in the field of History of Mathematics Education (HME), presents a history of the Brazilian Society of Mathematics Education, Rio Grande do Norte Regional (SBEM/RN), through a social and contemporary historical perspective. From this historiography, we asked: What do students in the Mathematics Licensure program at UFRN and Basic Education teachers who teach mathematics think about SBEM/RN? To answer this and other questions, our main objective was to analyze the opinions of students in the Mathematics Licensure program at UFRN and Basic Education teachers who teach mathematics regarding SBEM/RN. The research adopts a qualitative approach, utilizing document analysis and questionnaires. The questionnaire was administered to three undergraduate classes in the Mathematics Licensure program at UFRN, Natal campus, with 44 students participating. The results indicate that the licensure students have little or no knowledge about SBEM/RN, showing a limited understanding of the Brazilian Society of Mathematics Education and a mistaken conception of what constitutes a scientific society. This research is part of the Professional Master's Program in Teaching Natural Sciences and Mathematics, within the research line: History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Science in Teaching Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Consequently, it was necessary for the master's student to develop an Educational Product (EP), which led to the creation of the Iconographic Book, titled “SBEM/RN: A Possible History,” using available materials such as donated photos, internet images, and screenshots from websites about SBEM/RN. After creating the book, we applied the EP in the Mathematics Licensure classes at UFRN, Natal campus, for students to evaluate, critique, and provide suggestions for improvement. The evaluation of the EP revealed that the 43 students in the three Mathematics Licensure undergraduate classes at the Natal campus, where the evaluation questionnaire was applied, were not familiar with SBEM/RN and did not know the purpose of this Society but expressed interest in learning more about it. Another result was that, through the Iconographic Book, the students were able to understand a possible history of SBEM/RN.