A história da matemática como estratégia para o alcance da aprendizagem significativa do conceito de função

Abstract

The essentially formal, rigorous, abstract and deductive way which Mathematics is showed to the students can be one of the factors which generate a low comprehension of this subject. Intending to search alternatives to this situation that still takes place in Mathematics teaching, we based on the Meaningful Learning Theory, from David Ausubel, to search strategies which makes possible a more efficient and effective learning. Knowing that it is necessary that a new concept has to use another pre existing knowledge in the learner cognitive structure as an anchor to achieve a meaningful learning, we used the tendency Mathematics History applied to the Teaching as a strategy to achieve this kind of learning theorized by Ausubel. Using a Linear Evolutionist perspective, the history of Function concept acted as a guide to elaborate a potentially meaningful activities sequence which was applied in an eighth degree class form a public school. As it occurred in the epistemological development, the activities sequence shows, initially, some concepts which offered contribution to the Functions formalization, as dependency relations, graphics representations, regularities recognizing, algebraic language and analytics representations to, finally, culminate in that concept formalization. As data collect way, we used the answers of the activities made by the students and Concept Maps elaborated by them during and after the activities sequence appliance. An interview was also made with the students in order get a better comprehension form the concept maps elaborated after the activities sequence appliance, which objective was to answer the question "What is Function"?. The concept maps analysis evidenced some crossed links, hierarchical organization and some links which show systemic and structural implications, strong evidences of a meaningful learning.