Initial and continuing training of teachers who teach Mathematics in the 4th and 5th
grade of Elementary School focuses on “how to do” instead of on “what to do” and “for
whom”. The same is observed when it comes to the teaching and learning of fraction
in the initial years, which is an important content for the mathematical development of
Elementary School students. Hence this study aims to analyze the contributions,
according to the teachers’ perception, of a continuing education course on fraction for
teachers of 4th and 5th grades of the Municipal Education Network of Araguaína,
Tocantins, carried out from February 2018 to May 2019, with total workload of 126
hours. This study has a qualitative applied approach and it was developed in two
stages: first, we studied the literature that deals with models of continuing education,
especially the models highlighted by researchers such as Marcelo García, Antonio
Nóvoa and Gabriela Moriconi et al. The course considered the use of semiotic
representation register, the different meanings of fraction, as well as the characteristics
of quantities. The research was accomplished based on the analysis of interviews and
letters produced by course participants, with the goal of understanding what these
teachers consider to be the legacy of the course. A total of 88 teachers participated in
the research, and 80% of whom have a degree in Pedagogy or equivalent. Results
show that the teachers enjoyed the course, since it enabled them to solve theoretical
and methodological gaps regarding fraction content, and that the course established a
connection between theory and practice. According to their narratives, the continuing
education course changed the ways in which these teachers conceive and teach
fraction to their students.
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