Centro educacional de Niterói and a modern mathematics movement experience

Abstract

Ever since the emergence of the field of History of Mathematical Education in Brazil, research on the Modern Mathematics Movement (MMM) has been present from works of varied nature. Along this path, the investigations concerning the state of São Paulo stand out. Alternatively, there is an increase in research that deals with other local movements. And, the state of Rio de Janeiro is one of those instances with investigations pertaining MMM proposals from an European perspective. The studies carried out so far deal with some institutionalized experiences, in addition to indicating the agents involved in this network. In this article, based on one of these surveys, we covered the proposal of Arago de Carvalho Backx at the Centro Educacional de Niterói (CEN), in the 1970s. This cut advances in relation to the broader research, as it contextualizes the performance of this teacher. Out of his professional trajectory, the understanding about the origins of the CEN, and the new questions about the sources, some of which were mapped after the completion of the Dissertation. We considered as sources the official and institutional documents, notes and reports from the periodical press, narratives elaborated on the teaching of mathematics dated in the analyzed period, in addition to the literature on the subject.