Learning to be critical with Mathematics: Body Mass Index and Promotions

Abstract

This article presents part of an investigation whose purpose was to discuss how the Critical Mathematics Education in school contributes to the formation of critical and responsible citizens. The empirical basis of this study consisted in the implementation of a learning scenario which purpose was to work with students the critical analysis of some news in journals and magazines whose topics were focused on body mass index and promotions. In this sense one of the research questions was to understand: How does the Critical Mathematics Education contributes to the development of critical thinking and social responsibility in students? Given the stated question, we choose a qualitative research methodology with interpretative nature, in which the main purpose is to try to better understand the behavior and the human experience. From the data analysis we can highlight the importance of the tasks covered by the students being related with real situations and somehow linked to the students’ backgrounds and foregrounds, for the purpose of triggering in them the intention to learn and learning as action. We can also say that with this scenario students have been working at the level of critical thinking development and social responsibility using mathematics.