Teaching Practices in Mathematics During COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges for Technological Inclusion in a Rural Brazilian School

Abstract

The pandemic caused by COVID-19, on a global scale, brought an unprecedented situation for students from all over the world: the closure of schools. This study presents this theme under the perspective of a rural Brazilian school, located in a town in the interior of the state of Rio de Janeiro. Since the closure of schools as a health strategy for the control of the pandemic, the government of the state of Rio de Janeiro adopted the distance learning for school activities, most of which was achieved through technological mediation. This strategy to face the problem highlight reflections on inequality of access to the internet and the different roles played by the school, in addition to cognitive aspects. Considering as a research object the class of ninth grade of elementary school, and as a research theme their mathematics activities in distance learning, it was possible, through a case study, to analyze advances and setbacks in the learning proposal implemented. It is concluded that Brazil, due to its extensive territorial range and multiple specificities, is not yet prepared to legitimize the use of pedagogical practices in mathematics mediated by technology. Investments in infrastructure and teacher training are necessary so that pedagogical proposals mediated by technology can effectively contribute to the training of students.