MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN THE WESTERN AMAZON: RESCUING MANIPULATIVE MATERIALS IN TIMES OF DIGITAL RESTRICTION

Abstract

This article addresses the contemporary challenges of Mathematics Education in the context of the Western Amazon, with emphasis on the necessary adaptations in face of recent legislation restricting the use of mobile devices in the classroom. This is a qualitative, exploratory, and bibliographic research that seeks answers to the pedagogical impasse created by the momentary absence of digital resources. The objective of the study is to analyze how the rescue of manipulative materials and the Ethnomathematics approach can act as effective and culturally relevant pedagogical strategies in this new normative scenario. The methodology consisted of a systematic literature review, engaging with theorists in the field to investigate the didactic potential of tactile resources such as Tangram, Geoboard, and Golden Beads. The results evidence that the intentional and planned use of concrete objects facilitates the transition from empirical reasoning to abstract thinking and promotes significant engagement, creatively filling the gap left by technologies. It is concluded that the reinvention of teaching practices, by valuing tactile interaction and local cultural reality, is indispensable to ensure mathematical learning that is critical, inclusive, and aligned with the region's educational demands.