A escola e o insucesso

: combate ao insucesso na disciplina de Matemática ao nível da gestão intermédia num agrupamento de escolas

Abstract

This study is referent to a Report of Professional Activity inserted in the II Cycle of Studies in Education Sciences in Educational Management and Organization Matters, with the purpose to obtain a master degree. This report is a reflection about the educational failure in general and particularly in the mathematics subject, and its goal is also to reflect about the strategies to fight it. This study occurred in a Scholar Grouping called Pitágoras. In an initial stage, an approach to the failure in policies, theoretical and geographical conceptualization, and in a second stage, an analysis to the reasons of failure in mathematics and the measures/ strategies used to fight it is carried out. This report includes references to policies that may be responsible for the mathematics educational failure and also references to the influence of the geographic contexts, in this matter. I also mention the general causes associated to the mathematics educational failure and strategies against it. The first part of this report consists in the development of theoretical references of educational organization concepts (in the educational failure approach) and in the consequences of the bureaucratic neo institutional and rational models, too. By these theories, the school is considered a place in different worlds, with different organization images and different types of justice. In this part it is also made an approach of the anthropological and sociological concepts and a reference at the educational failure theories, in general. This part ends with an analysis of the European and Portuguese contexts and also with a reference of the Portuguese educational policies and programs to contest it. In the second part, and after a short contextualization in time and space of the Pitágoras Schools Grouping, it is made a reflective approach to the educational failure at mathematics subject, and also to the measures to fight it and the results obtained by using the Action Mathematics Plan. After this study work and reflection I am allowed to conclude that: -Although the majority number of failure scholar cases may be related with social, cultural and economic factors, in fact, the factors that really give the greatestcontribution for the scholar success promotion are: the educational policies, the school dynamics, the teachers’ strategies and the relationship between students and teachers. The mathematics discipline approach must be done in a less formal way than usual, preferably in connection with the daily routine of the students and through different strategies including new technologies and recreational activities resources. Considering the practical aspect of the subject and the lack of home studying habits, it is important that school reinforces using other learning spaces. Mathematics teaching must be personalized and individualized as possible. That must to be done with different pedagogies whenever necessary, converging with the students’ interests and needs. For scholar success promotion it is fundamental a good relationship between students and teachers and the interest of their education responsible into the study matters. There were obtained effective results in this subject, through the teacher work groups and through the training of knowledge level classes. The teacher´s continuous formation is also extremely important for professional update in teaching methodologies. To ending this Abstract I want to refer that it would need a larger period of time for a further detailed research about the chosen theme. Above all, the greatest limitation that I came across in this study was the lack of time, once I had to council it with my teaching career.

Date of Award	31 May 2016
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Carlos Alberto Vilar Estevão (Supervisor)