Mathematical modeling: a discipline for undergraduate education

Abstract

The fast social changes of nowadays have been reflected in the formal education and, especially, in the School Mathematics. The current trends in Mathematical Education drive for the news perspective about objectives, contents, methods and assessment. In this process, we noticed that the connection between Mathematics and other areas of knowledge is more and more emergent. The use of the real world as a didactic resource for teaching-learning of the Mathematics has been manifesting as a adequate road for the new educational demands. Among the means to materialize this focus, Mathematical Modelling has constituted as a viable way to reorganize the dynamics of the classroom. However, the use of this proposal runs into in the lack of the teachers' preparation, which doesn't have contact with this methodology during Pre-service Teacher Training. Really, some courses introduce sparse elements of Modelagem in some disciplines, however at a more informative than a formative level. Thus, we are worried about endowing the students of Pre-service of appropriate formation in such a way that they can use Modelling in its professional life. The general objective, therefore, is to elaborate a proposal of a discipline for Pre-service Mathematics Teacher Training that approaches Mathematical Modelling as teaching-learning methodology, as it comes placed in Chapter IV of this presentation. Our justifications for the work, described in Chapter II, are based in the importance of this proposal for the Teacher's of Mathematics Formation, as well as in the appropriate focus and the relevance of the methodological procedures. In last instance, we considered that the proposal originated from this study can bring contributions for the improvement of the teaching of Mathematics in our environment. We intend to drive a study of qualitative nature, using the postulates of the ethnographic research. For the due treatment of the collected data, we will do a work with the technique of categorization as proposed in Analysis of Content, according presentation done by Bardin, and culminating with the critical discussion of the obtained results and the design of a curricular proposal. (AU)