The portfolio as a learning assessment tool in Critical Mathematics Education contexts: analysis of the perception of students in the 7th year of elementary school

Abstract

This article presents the perceptions of students in the 7th year of elementary school about an assessment instrument – the portfolio – used to assess the activities performed during the execution of a project in the context of Critical Mathematics Education. At the end of the project's development, as part of its evaluation and the use of the evaluation instrument, 53 students from two classes of the 7th year of elementary school answered a questionnaire, where they were able to report their experiences with the project and how it was the assessment conducted. The answers were submitted to thematic categorical content analysis and presented the following results: students reported perceptions about their own learning process and also in relation to the project theme (Environment and Food). Through such records and in line with the literature, the development of skills of organization, presentation and reflection on the work performed was evidenced, culminating in the potential for self-assessment; teamwork, reading and writing the world with mathematics and changes in attitude – in relation to the subject and the subject studied. As points to be improved, students advocate for greater use of the instrument, at different times, greater variety in activities and responsibility of group members. Hypotheses raised during the work point to investigations that understand the metacognition of students, especially with regard to the mobilization of criteria used for the insertion or exclusion of activities in the portfolio, as well as attention to the feedback given by the teacher.