BORA LÁ: UNIVERSITY EXTENSION'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEACHER AND RESEARCHER DEVELOPMENT IN MATHEMATICAL EDUCATION

Abstract

Based on workshops conducted as part of the extension project "Bora lá (Let’s go!): Mathematics Education for elementary school teachers and students" – linked to the Postgraduate Program in Science and Mathematics Education at the Universidade Federal do Pará (PPGECM-UFPA) and developed in Belém and Bragança (Pará state, Brazil) –, this article aims to describe and analyze the evaluations from participating teachers (who teach mathematics) and the perceptions of the researcher-trainers (postgraduate students in Mathematics Education). Its aim is to understand how the extension activities contribute to the continuing professional development of mathematics teachers and the education of doctoral and master’s students. To conduct the research, we utilized participant observation and evaluative questionnaires, answered by 435 public school teachers, nine doctoral students, and three master's students. Considering the research results, it was possible to confirm that university extension plays an important role in the continuity of education for both teachers and researchers. This is because the activities fostered the collaborative construction of knowledge applicable to teaching, assessment, and learning practices, and motivated the postgraduate students to adopt a more sensitive and committed perspective on the school reality.