Professional Knowledge and Teacher's Reflections in Teaching a Situation Involving the Idea of Proportionality

Resumo

Context: Study groups of teachers who meet to reflect on the teaching of mathematics constitute potentially a formative process that can foster teachers' professional knowledge . Objectives: This investigation brings results on the development of professional knowledge of a teacher who delves into ideas related to the concept of proportionality and her teaching during her participation in a study group. Design: The research is of a qualitative nature. Environment and participants: The research was carried out within a study group formed at the school the teacher works, involving seven educators, including teachers and researchers. Data collection and analysis: Data were collected through direct observations, recordings of two study sessions and the development of a class. Observations and reflections on the teaching practice are collected during group studies, based on Zeichner and Ball, Thames and Phelps were analyzed. Results: Their experiences enabled the teacher to expand significantly the knowledge base about the situation presented, and fostered her reflections on the theme and her teaching, especially regarding the resolutions the students presented. Conclusions: The analysis of the process reveals that the proposal to solve problems related to the ideas of proportionality and the analysis of the way students work in the classroom to solve them brings a new meaning to the teacher's knowledge, helping teacher to become more confident to intervene constructively in the students' learning process.