A Torre de Hanói e o jogo de xadrez - uma proposta de ensino de matemática aliada ao lúdico

Abstract

Reflecting on the difficulties of teaching and learning mathematics in public school, it was asked what could be attributed to such difficulties. For example, the answer could lie in the method of teaching and learning and the lack of motivation among students to study and engage properly in order to develop concentration skills, problem-solving logic, development of critical thinking and mental calculation, and, finally, autonomy. By dialoguing with students from different grades during classes, it was found that, indeed, mathematics is seen by most as a tough subject to understand, making it dull, boring and accessible to few. It was against this backdrop that the fun and games get space to play an important role: to rescue a taste for teaching and learning mathematics. Thus, the work of the teacher and student in the classroom should be to transform it into a scientific laboratory in which the seeking goal is the knowledge, the collaborative work and for personal autonomy, cultural and social growth of all involved in that space. In this context, it was intended to establish a methodology for this work of teaching and learning of mathematics based on the use of games of chess and Tower of Hanoi, in which the latter can assist in inserting new content or as tests of learning, or simply as a recreational game in early childhood education, and may be used as well, with more specific content and goals of short-term achievement. While the game of chess, by presenting higher levels of complexity, tends to develop general skills and not specific contents, however, mandatory within the teaching-learning process. Therefore, the development of this work comes as chess willing to offer medium and long term range targets. This way, this work aims to show how the games as well as the playful, can be used as a resource for teaching and motivating transformer acting as an ally of the teacher and the student in the process of teaching and learning mathematics in public schools.