Movimentos itinerantes em marcha: justiça social e matemáticas menores na educação de jovens e adultos

Abstract

The motivation for the development of this Professional Master's research linked to the Basic Education Teaching Program (PPGEB) arises from the desire as a researcher to tell other stories in my journey as an educator. These are real stories that portray the memories of individuals excluded from the right to education in regular schooling, who seek in school a space for the dignification of life. These stories are filled with unique knowledge and experiences, surviving in a world marked by numerous absences, yet nurturing dreams and aspiring to a better quality of life, towards social peace. This study aims to experience and explore, alongside a Youth and Adult Education class, the "lesser mathematics" that emerge and intertwine on the margins of classrooms, in the daily lives of its students, relating to the research line "Other mathematics that arise in a classroom that values the experience of others". In this way, we aim to develop an analysis of the contributions of Ethnomathematics to the valorization of sociocultural knowledge, aiming at promoting social justice and fighting against the injustices that afflict marginalized communities. Thus, the research conducted aimed to identify "lesser mathematics" that flourish from the experiences of eleven students in Youth and Adult Education (EJA) at the municipal school Vereador Orlando Hungria in the municipality of Nilópolis, in Rio de Janeiro. Adopting the methodology of Oral History, we conducted semi-structured interviews with students of various age groups, seeking to listen to and record their memories and narratives. We emphasized diversity and sociocultural plurality, seeking to reframe our neutrality towards social inequalities, in addition to contributing to school culture through this approach. Regarding data analysis, we aimed, through the creation and organization of a traveling exhibition, open to the entire school community, to engage in dialogue with the narratives told by the interviewees and with the exchanges of experiences that occurred during the event, in the light of Ethnomathematics and the Philosophy of Difference. As a result of our research, we observed that EJA students, who were excluded from school during childhood, possess diverse knowledge and understandings that deserve to be welcomed, engaged with, and made visible by the school. Additionally, we consider it essential to propose spaces beyond the classroom, where students can exchange experiences with the school community, advocate for their fundamental rights, and promote social justice and social transformation through education. We believe that school is more than a formative space; it is a territory for the dignification of human life, where everyone has the right to a better quality of life and is respected in their uniqueness. As an Educational Product, we developed two books: a photography book, with images taken during the exhibition, accompanied by dialogues between the interviewees and the researcher; and a book of chronicles, organized with twelve stories presented by the interviewees throughout the interviews or highlighted by the researcher during observations in the classroom. We highlight the relevance of this research regarding the visibility of the inspiring and hopeful stories of EJA students, as well as its ability to reach other spaces for dialogue and construction. Our research paves the way for future investigations within this field, aiming to broaden the understanding of "lesser mathematics" in Youth and Adult Education. We plan to explore other narratives in diverse contexts, encompassing different stories and participants, to enrich not only academic knowledge but also individual experiences of the participants, as well as contribute to the understanding of society at large. Finally, we reaffirm the importance of further research focused on the Youth and Adult Education audience, with students, their memories, and their knowledge as protagonists.