The teaching of arithmetic in pedagogical manuals: principles popularized in the New School

Abstract

This article privileged the analysis of five pedagogical manuals published between 1930 and 1950, and aimed to
identify which principles for the teaching of arithmetic in primary school was popularized at the time of the
New School. Considering the theoretical and methodological contribution of Cultural History, the study
identified the appropriations made by the authors of the manuals in relation to the theoretical foundations
underlying the New School Movement and, consequently, the representations that tended to the universality of
ideas. The analyzes indicated that the representations regarding how to teach Arithmetic in New School times
became popular with three guiding principles, namely, gradual, objective and global teaching. Taking advantage
of various materials, games and everyday situations, the teaching of Arithmetic should be based on real
circumstances, privileged both the active learning of the child and the practical meaning of mathematical
knowledge.