Abstract:

Humor has an important social role, assuming as a cognitive and affective experience that as well as creating a sense of well ¬being, predisposes people to work (Adão, 2008; Martin, 2007; Martins, 2015; Meyer, 2015). Mathematics is a discipline in which the reasoning work occupies a very prominent place, and at the same time, students' interest for mathematics is not always the same and some have initially not very favorable feelings.

Recent curriculum changes to the teaching of mathematics have been, in most countries of the world, showing the need for students to develop skills of critical nature, such as communication, thinking and solving mathematical problems along with the acquisition of mathematical knowledge. In this context, our proposal is teaching mathematics with humor. To do so, we design sequences of tasks involving humorous texts curriculum and didactically sustained for mathematics teaching. These tasks were tested with students at the end of Portuguese primary school. Using interpretive and qualitative methodologies, we analyze the data obtained in the classroom (participant observation, audio recordings, documental analysis) through content analysis.

References:
[1] Adão, T. (2008). O lado sério do humor uma perspectiva sociolinguística do discurso humorístico. Famalicão: Editorial Novembro.
[2] Martin, R. (2007). The psychology of humor An integrative approach. London: Elsevier Academic Press.
[3] Martins, A. I. (2015). A seriedade do Humor ao longo dos séculos: uma retórica do poder político ou de um contra-poder?. Revista Iberoamericana de Estudios de Desarrollo, 4(1), 323-346.
[4] Meyer, J. C. (2015). Understanding Humor Through Communication: Why be Funny, Anyway?. Lanham: Lexington Books.

Keywords:

Mathematics teaching, Humor, Tasks.