DIAMOND PAPER AS A RECORDING FRAMEWORK FOR THE SEMIOTIC REPRESENTATION OF RATIONAL NUMBERS

Abstract

Based on the studies of Boaler et al. (2018), Cosenza and Guerra (2011), and Almouloud (2007) on, respectively, the importance of visual mathematics for learning, the brain's capacity for number processing, and the registers of semiotic representation from the perspective of French philosopher and psychologist Raymond Duval, a qualitative methodology study was structured to understand how teaching resources with a playful, equitable, and visual approach can favor the learning of rational numbers. An activity was carried out using diamond paper as a visual framework for the semiotic representation of rational numbers, with an emphasis on fractional, decimal, percentage, and figural representation of the concept under study. This activity exercised skills aimed at recognizing the different representations of a rational number—a descriptor of the 9th-grade SAEB mathematics test's 2001 reference matrix. Diamond paper is a useful tool for clarifying the different registers of rational numbers, as well as a space for performing internal and external transformations within the register, considering operational meanings and conversion processes between registers. Such manipulations are essential for understanding and grasping the concepts studied. The research contributed to the search for strategies that aim to spark student interest and generate motivation for what is learned, giving meaning and strengthening ties with the reality in which the student lives.