Resources of curriculum materials that induce teachers' professional knowledge of the additive conceptual field

Abstract

Assuming that curriculum materials reverberate the knowledge of teachers, we sought to identify and discuss features of the materials, related to the additive field, which induce professional knowledge in Mathematics. Through a documentary analysis of three 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade Mathematics Teacher's Manuals, the addition and subtraction problems were mapped and analyzed; the texts presenting the material and the units corresponding to the mapped problems were analyzed, as well as the specific guidelines for working with these problems. Considering the Conceptual Fields Theory and the Knowledge of Knowledge of Curriculum Embedded Mathematics as references, we identified a variety of problem classes, as well as guidelines on the different meanings of operations. We observed weaknesses in the approach taken in the 2nd grade Manual corresponding to the addition and subtraction approach, to the detriment of the other Manuals. We noted the absence of explicitly stated information in the three manuals, which may have an impact on the way teachers read and interpret the guidelines, and evaluate the problems, implying the teaching knowledge mobilized or constructed.