Quilts da liberdade: um estudo de transformações geométricas utilizando Geogebra

Abstract

Mathematics, in the pedagogical field, is often perceived as an arid and abstract science, centered on the production of knowledge related to formulas and numbers. In contrast to this perspective, ethnomodeling seeks to investigate the relationship between cultural aspects and academic mathematical concepts, enabling the analysis of problem situations present in individuals’ daily lives. In this context, the Freedom Quilts stand out as small patchwork quilts used by enslaved African Americans before the American Civil War as instruments of communication, resistance, and transmission of coded messages to fugitives seeking freedom through the Underground Railroad. These cultural artifacts explored symmetric patterns and geometric ideas, highlighting the presence of mathematics in cultural manifestations and in its diverse uses by different social groups. Thus, this study proposes an investigation of geometric concepts based on the Freedom Quilts, as well as the development of a homonymous educational game aimed at fostering the visualization and manipulation of geometric objects, promoting an active, investigative, and contextualized approach to mathematics learning.