Abstract:

Mathematics learning both in formal and non-formal contexts allows the acquisition and development of skills and knowledge, however, it is in the non-formal context that the promotion of students' motivation and interest in STEAM areas becomes relevant. As part of a Summer Academy 2022, a session was held with children from the 2nd cycle, aged between 10 and 12 years old, with the aim of promoting mathematical learning, in a non-formal context, based on children's literature.

The focus of this work is on the analysis of the development of soft skills, namely, emotions, creativity and critical thinking, following the OECD references on this subject.

The choice of book fell on a narrative involving emotions to create opportunities for analysis of soft skills triggered in children when performing tasks where mathematics appears implicitly. For this purpose, based on Robert Plutchik's Wheel of Emotions, they were invited to build a "Coloremotionary" in 3 dimensions, associating colors with emotions in a pyramid stratified by levels. They should also represent in a circle the emotions they most and least like to feel, being that, sectors with greater amplitude would correspond to the emotions they most like to feel, coloring the sectors according to their “Coloremotionary".

With this pedagogical experience, it was possible:
(1) to detect, in some students, emotional constraints that can block the healthy development of the child, not disregarding the possibility that such constraints are caused by the child's emotional exposure to colleagues and/or unknown trainers;
(2) to verify the non-uniformity in the association of colors to emotions, not being subject to pre-established models;
(3) to perceive their creativity and critical thinking.

Combining emotions with mathematics seemed unimaginable to them as children usually see mathematics in an explicit context. However, all children were motivated and achieved the expected goals for this session. The session was interactive, collaborative, and cooperative, with interesting questions/comments emerging, such as: "Where's the math?", "I thought I was coming for a math session..."

Keywords:

Mathematics, soft skills, non-formal contexts, pedagogical experience.