Actitud de maestras y maestros hacia el trabajo cooperativo en el aprendizaje de la matemática

Recibido 22 de febrero de 2010 • Aceptado 17 de marzo de 2010 • Corregido 22 de marzo de 2010   En este artículo se reportan los resultados más relevantes del proyecto de investigación “Actitud de maestras y maestros hacia el trabajo cooperativo en el aprendizaje de la matemática”, desarrollado en la Escuela de Matemática del Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, bajo el código 5402-1440-2201. Se mide, describe e interpreta la actitud de los maestros y las maestras hacia el trabajo cooperativo en el aprendizaje de la matemática, como resultado de la exposición a un taller en el que se empleó como estrategia metodológica el trabajo cooperativo para el aprendizaje de la matemática. La investigación contempló tanto técnicas cualitativas como cuantitativas.

Sociocultural context as a facilitator of student learning of function concepts in mathematics

In Costa Rica, many secondary students have serious difficulties to establish relationships between mathematics and real-life contexts. They question the utilitarian role of the school mathematics. This fact motivated the research object of this report which evidences the need to overcome methodologies unrelated to students’ reality, toward new didactical options that help students to value mathematics, reasoning and its  applications, connecting it with their socio-cultural context. The research used a case study as a qualitative methodology and the social constructivism as an educational paradigm in which the knowledge is built by the student; as a product of his social interactions. A collection of learning situations was designed, validated, and implemented. It allowed establishing relationships between mathematical concepts and the socio-cultural context of participants. It analyzed the impact of students’socio-cultural context in their mathematics learning of basic concepts of real variable functions, consistent with the Ministry of Education (MEP) Official Program.  Among the results, it was found that using students’sociocultural context improved their motivational processes, mathematics sense making, and promoted cooperative social interactions. It was evidenced that contextualized learning situations favored concepts comprehension that allow students to see mathematics as a discipline closely related with their every-day life.