THE CONSTRUCTION OF MATHEMATICAL KNOWLEDGE AND ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE IN CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Abstract

Several studies and statistical data point to Mathematics as the subject that most fails Elementary School students. In addition, children reach the fi nal grades seeing this subject as the bogeyman of schools. Given this context, this study presents refl ections and analyzes about the construction of mathematical knowledge in Early Childhood Education, whose purpose is to understand the implications of teaching practice in teaching Mathematics, understanding that Early Childhood Education is the primordial stage of Basic Education, in which the The child is in a phase of development of natural curiosity experiencing the discovery of the environment that surrounds him. In this context, Mathematics is a discipline that, if well worked, can contribute to the development of signifi cant skills that will help the child to better understand this world. However, the teacher’s intervention in working on mathematical knowledge linked to environmental issues in classroom activities will enable the student to develop such skills. The work is a part of the theoretical contribution that underlies the Doctoral Thesis that investigates the teaching practice in the construction of mathematical knowledge in preschool children. The study shows the importance of teaching Mathematics in Early Childhood Education, relating the construction of knowledge to children’s knowledge for meaningful learning in Preschool.