Abstract:

This article focuses on the didactic materials that teachers of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education (CEB) use when teaching mathematics. This project was implemented in a set of 6 schools in Lisbon, Belas, Odivelas and Albarraque in order to obtain data on teachers' educational practices with materials, which can contribute to the re-signification and improvement of teaching practice.

The methodological approach used was both qualitative and interpretive, based on research and interviews. The participants in this study were 40 teachers from 1st to 4th grade classes.

It was carried out a didactic research on the subject with the objective of knowing the teachers' thoughts and opinions about the materials, focusing on the manipulatives materials that exists in the institutions, the frequency and form of exploration of the materials and the role they play in the 1. º Cycle of Basic Education.

Data analysis shows that the most used resources are: structured materials (Cuisenaire, Multibasic Calculators, Papy Calculators, Froebel's Boxes, Geoplan) and unstructured materials (straws, figures,...), the school manual, slate and interactive, the fingers of the hand, and the worksheet prepared by the teacher.

Teachers consider manipulative materials as objects and a way to motivate, by manipulation, participation and involvement, facilitating in a playful way the teaching-learning process and the construction of concepts. They distinguish the school manual and the boards (slate and interactive) as the most used resources in the classroom. In their lesson plans, the contents covered with manipulative materials facilitate the progressive mathematization of students in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education.

Keywords:

Didactic materials, Mathematics education, 1st Cycle of Basic Education.