Solving problems related to the perimeter and area of plane figures, with students from the 6th to the 8th grade of elementary school

Abstract

This research aims to investigate the process of knowledge construction regarding the area and perimeter of plane figures by students from the 6th to the 8th grade of elementary school through a teaching sequence based on problem-solving within the Experimental Practices Integrative Component, in a state public school in the city of Ituiutaba/MG. Data were collected through a teaching intervention that took place over 5 meetings, each lasting 1 hour and 40 minutes. In each meeting, participants received a worksheet containing two problems each, involving the content of area and perimeter of plane figures. The analysis was structured across the 5 meetings following the 10-step script of the Teaching-Learning-Assessment methodology through Problem Solving. The research results highlight that students demonstrated progress in understanding the concepts covered, especially in recognizing properties of plane figures, such as the congruence between opposite sides in a rectangle and the equivalence of areas in different geometric configurations. It was also observed that there was greater ease in calculating areas from known references, such as the square and the rectangle, as well as the frequent use of visual representations and annotations on drawings as support for organizing thought. However, most did not use abstract formulas to perform the calculations. Many students showed a tendency to operate directly with the numbers presented, without explaining the geometric meaning of their actions, which reveals a more procedural than conceptual approach.