Formação de professores indígenas para o ensino de matemática nos anos iniciais na perspectiva da etnomatemática: um estudo na escola indígena Chuí e aldeia Anauá Pitaguary

Abstract

The situations of indigenous public schools in Brazil, especially the Chuí indigenous school, located in Olho D’água, in the state of Ceará, and in the context of the Pitaguary Anauá land reclamation in the Pitaguary territory on September 29, 2023, have demonstrated that public policies to strengthen and value the struggle for Mother Earth and the environment are urgent and important. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the training of indigenous teachers at the Chuí Indigenous School, based on the contributions of the training activities carried out in the Anauá Village, from the perspective of Ethnomathematics with a link to Creative Insubordination and the Theory of Objectification, theories that value ancestral culture. This study is based on the theoretical assumptions of Ethnomathematics (valuing mathematical knowledge produced and used by different cultural groups), the Theory of Objectification (knowledge develops through collaborative work supported by Community Ethics), and Creative Insubordination (the capacity to act creatively against imposed norms, presenting ethical and responsible pedagogical alternatives) to support the study of actions in the training of indigenous and non-indigenous teachers who teach in indigenous schools. It is a basic research project, with a qualitative approach, of the case study type, and exploratory procedures. To this end, an extension course is conducted within the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) of the "Weaving Cognitive Learning Networks Group" and the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (GTERCOA-CNPq), with in-person, synchronous, and asynchronous activities, distributed over 180 hours. The course focused on teacher training through formative actions, using activities geared towards digital graphic practices, supported by ancestral technologies. Data were collected from forums on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), observations during in-person activities, and questionnaires administered to participating teachers. The results were analyzed according to the guidelines of the Fedathi Sequence of Data Analysis Methodology (SFMAD), based on its sub-phases: curation; detail, presentation, and interpretation. The importance of developing actions that recover the arguments and wisdom of elder traditions linked to orality, ancestry, communitarianism, seniority, spirituality, initiation, and territoriality in indigenous writing—writings that are aligned with the use of indigenous graphic art, whether on the body, walls, fabric, clay, or indigenous crafts—is noted. The actions carried out with teachers, related to Ethnomathematics, were positive in changing teaching practices and also helped in obtaining the state seals of Anti-Racist School and Sustainable School. According to the teachers, they broadened the teachings of ancestral knowledge, promoting the continuity of generations in the construction of a multicultural education, especially of the Pitaguary culture for indigenous schools. In this context, ethnomathematics stands out for the development of a transdisciplinary curriculum conception that meets the specific needs of teachers working in indigenous schools. This study is considered relevant to the school and community of the Anauá Village, and it is intended that the approaches and conceptions experienced will contribute to an inclusive and quality indigenous school education. The perspective of the study is that indigenous education in Brazil should not be a modality of teaching and intellectual knowledge and tradition governed by laws, but that public policies should safeguard its sociocultural singularities, which strengthen the preservation of traditions.