A utilização de gestos ostensivos no ensino de conceitos matemáticos : uma investigação à luz da filosofia de Wittgenstein

Abstract

In this research I investigate the use of ostensive gestures in the teaching of mathematical concepts. The justifications are based on the possibility of generating subsidies for an understanding of the explanation and understanding of these concepts, through discussions on the construction of the sense in this specific field of knowledge. The search is characterized as theoretical, but, in function of the theoretical reference, I use examples of teaching situations extracted from official curriculum guidelines, textbooks or simply situations formulated to illustrate the discussion, in order to clarify the region of investigation, which constitutes a methodology that has inspiration in Wittgensteinian philosophical therapy. The analysis was based on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein, for which ostensive gesture is a linguistic instrument that allows us to establish an internal connection between a word and the object to which we point. My analysis points out that the ostensive gesture can favor the understanding of mathematical concepts, insofar as it is configured as a means of presenting linguistic conventions, however, it can also cause misunderstandings when presented in an ambiguous way, which makes it difficult to have an adequate training for the students to master the technique associated with the constitution of the meaning of the concept in question.