CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE MANCALA GAME TO MATH TEACHING: AN EXPERIENCE REPORT

Abstract

In view of the New Curriculum Guidelines on ethnic-racial relations, mathematics teaching must promote the appreciation of cultural diversity, breaking with the traditional teaching model that advocates the transfer of information, denying the student the very construction of knowledge and questioning about debates that contain social aspects. The research recognizes the relevance of didactic tools such as African games for mathematical learning, with a focus on the Mancala family of games, which originated on the African continent. The project with the Mancala game was developed with 18 students from the Hortência Phirro do Valle Municipal School. The aim of this experience report is to present the impressions of 8th grade students on the application of the Mancala game. The results show that most of the students pointed out problems related to learning difficulties in mathematics. It should be noted that 17 students had had no experience of African games before this research. The majority noted that the game involves mathematical concepts, such as counting and strategy. Therefore, the African game Mancala linked to mathematics teaching can be a positive methodology, in a way that the results present in the research point to a path of understanding of cultural elements and mathematical learning on the part of the students.