Experiências de Idosos com a matemática no contexto da “Universidade Aberta Para Idosos” da Universidade Federal de Pelotas.

Abstract

This qualitative research aimed to produce oral sources about how the elderly relate to mathematics and, based on these narratives, produce some reflections that allow the identification of some needs and/or interests of elderly people regarding mathematics. The research participants are elderly people who participated in activities offered by the extension project “Universidade Aberta Para Idosos - UNAPI/UFPel”. The text discusses issues involving education for people of this age group, addressing aspects such as the growth of the elderly population in Brazil, the right to education at all ages, in addition to presenting a brief history of the emergence of Universities Open to Elderly People. before approaching the specific case of the UNAPI of the Federal University of Pelotas, locus of the present research. Oral History is used as a theoretical-methodological framework for the production of oral sources. Such sources are the result of what was said in interviews with five elderly people enrolled at UNAPI in 2021, in which they themselves were given the opportunity to share their memories regarding participation in the project, as well as their everyday experiences with mathematics. Finally, some aspects were analyzed from these dialogues, which sought to understand how the relationship of the elderly with the project is and to make an approximation with training possibilities in the field of Mathematics Education.