Matemática financeira na perspectiva da educação matemática crítica

Abstract

Research in the field of Critical Math Education (CME) has suggested the urgent need to develop didatic material in which real situation should be emphasized in order to accomplish significative learning. To contribute to CME, this thesis aims to present pedagogical activities to teaching financial math based on CME. Teaching Financial Math, in a CME approach, means to explore and to develop student's competences in a critical and participative way, emphasizing the use of math in daily life situation. More than learning mathematical techniques or calculus awareness, this proposal aims to build up on competences associated with learning reflection. In this way, this proposal takes in consideration the use of texts, reports and news available in print or online media that refers to the use of math in everyday situation in which students can get engaged in their social or profissional life. The present pedagogical proposal offers tools and ways of conducting students to learn how to identify, to interpret, to evaluate and to criticize the math usages in the world as well as being critical, responsible and free citizens of their actions. It is also important to highlight that it is the math teacher's responsability to make students aware of some financial math concepts as way of understading the reality in which they get involved. The contents in this pedagogical proposal discuss themes such as interest rate, rates, taxes, applications, investment and loans, in order to students to learn how financial math is applied socially or in everyday situation. It also suggests that the activities proposed should be solved by using digital spreadsheets, particularly by the Microsoft Excel software, because it offers more tools and features than a tradicional calculator.