NOTIONS OF PRACTICAL GEOMETRY OF VASCO DE ARAUJO E SILVA

Resumo

The text deals with the work Basic Ideas of Practical Geometry for the use of elementary schools published in 1869, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Through a documental analysis, he contextualizes the place of production, identifies author’s biographical data and seeks to answer the research question: what is the conception of teaching and learning elementary geometry that can be identified in the work Notions of Practical Geometry for use by schools of elementary instruction of Vasco de Araujo e Silva? For the analysis of contents presented in the text, he uses the following categories: figures, theoretical statements, exercises and proposed problems. We conclude that the geometric knowledge for primary education should be practical, elementary, that the teaching should begin with the freehand drawing and manipulation of geometric instruments. Learning geometry, for the author, implies visualizing, constructing geometric objects through step-by-step instructions, as well as exercising in a gradual manner without much theorizing.