Gelosia e Divisão Americana: uma experiência motivadora com esses algoritmos operatórios pouco explorados no ensino fundamental

Abstract

In one of the public networks of teaching in which the author acts as a teacher, many students arrive at the beginning of the second segment of the elementary school without mastering the four basic arithmetic operations and, specifically, with many difficulties in multiplication and division of natural numbers. There is also the little interest of several of them for mathematical content in General. Considering this reality, noted a need to seek innovations, finding ways to stimulate this learning curriculum component. Over the years, researched some methods and algorithms to multiply and divide natural numbers. Testing several of them over the years, the classroom experience pointed out the Lattice and the Long Division with Estimation as potentially motivating algorithms for arithmetic operations, by format and for simplicity. The aim of this work was to carry out an action research in a class of sixth grade of elementary school, involving the use of these two algorithms, evaluating motivational aspects and learning during the trial. Initially, were applied in that class a test to evaluate the motivation for studying mathematics and a pre-test, where if asked to solve simple issues of multiplication and division of natural numbers, the way each student wanted. After this step, some activities were carried out, using the above algorithms. Finally, we conducted a post-test and was reapplied the test of motivation, which granted the necessary data to the conclusions of the research. The resemblance to the traditional "Tic-Tac-Toe", the Lattice was introduced as a handmade board game, which stimulated competition and generated a lot of interest in most. The long division with estimation already used in most movements, the subtraction, what is a content well assimilated by students in this age group and educational level, since, typically, these students have a better development of thought. So I received a lot of attention from students, who have improved their concepts of orders (units, tens, hundreds), to better carry out the algorithm. Based on the questionnaire assessed the motivation to study mathematics, it was possible to observe not only the improvement of the interest in the various activities involving Mathematical content, but also an increase of confidence and credibility in the relationship between teacher x student. The approach has yielded satisfactory results. This kind of experience can leave as a legacy to students for the abandonment of the initial bad impression you might have regarding the arithmetic and, often, removing the fear and disgust in having to do the math, replacing this feeling of security generated by the domain in a differentiated way to solve problems that require multiplication and division. Moreover this experience can increase the ability of the students to absorb the multiplicative principle, paving the way for it to deepen the learning in this field of knowledge.