Curriculum reorganization and project based learning: a teaching experiment of geometry in the 6th grade

Abstract

This study intends to analyze the implications that an unconventional approach of Mathematics, in context of classroom, will have in 6 grade pupils. This approach consists of a reorganization of part of the mathematics curriculum, more concretely of the Thematic Unit - Geometry, through the methodology of Project Based Learning. The curricular reorganization was based on some principles concerning the teaching and learning of Mathematics, namely that: Mathematics must contribute for the development of individuals who can understand and use mathematics; learning is considered a process of active construction of knowledge; and activities of more open character, as Projects, present some potentialities concerning the teaching and learning of Mathematics. In the scope of this problematic the following research questions had been defined: - what kind of task should be presented to pupils, in order to constitute a challenge, and provide the opportunity to construct mathematical knowledge? - How to organize the activity in such a way that the geometry contents from 6th grade relate one another and that it develops pupils’ knowledge of concepts and procedures, mathematical communication and reasoning? - In which way does this approach influence the knowledge of concepts and procedures, the ability of mathematical communication and reasoning?