Thereza Pereira Rocha's writings: From Pestalozzi to Thorndike, knowledge to teach arithmetic problems

Abstract

This article proposes to observe the systematizations in the constitution of professional knowledge, based on those of appropriations made by Thereza Pereira da Rocha, in her notebook dated 1958, in which she recorded notes of an improvement course. The following concepts were used as methodology: processes (BURKE, 2016), professional knowledge (HOFSTETTER; SCHENEUWLY, 2017) and, closer to this theoretical objective, the concepts of mathematics for teaching and mathematics to teach (BERTINI; MORAIS; VALENTE, 2017). It is understood that the knowledge recorded in the notebook refers to precepts prior to the production of this document, more specifically to two authors: Pestalozzi and Thorndike. The first author marks the dissemination of the intuitive method in the final years of the 19th century in Brazil. The second, based on advances in child development, proposes changes in relation to the teaching of arithmetic in the early 20th century. As conclusions, it is indicated that in the notebook there are precepts spread by these authors, which means that the teaching of arithmetic did not simply discard previous ideas, but incorporated them into the so-called “modern” teaching.