Calkins´ geometric knowledge and its appropriation in teaching programs of school groups in the state of São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

Geometric knowledge in Calkins´s handbook First lessons on things and his appropriation of norms of the primary schools in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, are analyzed. Results show that the ‘lessons onform’ and ‘drawing’ in the handbook develop basic perceptual faculties for the construction and development of several fields of knowledge besides geometrical ones. It should be underscored that ‘lessons on form’ and ‘drawing’ are not equivalent to the teaching of Geometry. The analysis of teaching programs for the 1894-1925 periodreveals the influence of Calkins´s ideas since the study of forms was present from the start. This condition remained till the 1925 program when it gained the status as an independent subject matter, while Geometry was a discipline completely different from Calkins´s suggestions.

Keywords

• Lições de forma
• lições de desenho
• Norman Allison Calkins
• ensino de geometria
• programas de ensino
• Grupos Escolares Paulistas