Cultura maker, fabricação digital e robótica educacional no ensino de geometria: um estudo com professores

Abstract

This research stems from the historical challenges of teaching Geometry, particularly the students’ difficulty in understanding abstract concepts and the lack of pedagogical practices that integrate digital technologies. This scenario highlights the need to improve teacher training by providing resources that make teaching more contextualized, interactive, and aligned with contemporary educational demands, as evidenced by indicators such as IDEB and SPAECE. In this context, the objective of this study is to investigate, from the perspective of Didactical Engineering, how Maker Culture, Digital Fabrication, and Educational Robotics, under a constructionist approach and aligned with the Theory of Didactical Situations (TDS), can promote contextualized pedagogical practices in Geometry teaching at the final years of elementary school. The theoretical framework is based on Constructionism, TDS, and Maker Culture, articulated with the principles of Second-Generation Didactical Engineering (ED2). The study was carried out in the context of a continuing education course developed at a Center of Excellence in Educational Policies of a Brazilian public university, involving basic education teachers. The activities were organized in a Didactical Sequence integrating Digital Fabrication processes (3D modeling and printing), Educational Robotics (Arduino, motors, and sensors), and visual programming, supported by guides, tutorials, and materials made available on the educational product of the research: the “Imprimindo Robôs” website. Data analysis was conducted through a posteriori analysis of the didactical situations and comparative analysis of diagnostic (pre-test) and final (post-test) questionnaires, considering participants’ perceptions, conceptual progress, and development of technological competences. The results show that teachers perceived that the integration of Maker Culture, Digital Fabrication, and Educational Robotics significantly expanded their pedagogical practices, enabling a redefinition of Geometry teaching, making it more concrete, dynamic, and problem-solving-oriented. Furthermore, participants recognized these technologies as viable tools to overcome students' difficulties, especially in understanding concepts such as area, perimeter, and proportionality. As future perspectives, it is expected that this work will contribute to new research and pedagogical practices that explore Maker Culture in Geometry teaching, extending this approach to other mathematical contents, educational stages, and school contexts, while strengthening formative processes that incorporate active methodologies and digital technologies in a critical, reflective, and innovative way.