Continuous professional development in Science and Mathematics Education: a decolonial strategy from the perspective of the Ethnomathematics program

Abstract

This theoretical essay aims to present a continuous professional development initiative as a decolonial strategy for Science and Mathematics education, developed through the lens of the Ethnomathematics Program and Law No. 10.639/2003, and carried out by a collective of teacher educators with diverse professional backgrounds. The experience was situated in the course Special Topics in Mathematics Education: Ethnomathematics, Ethnosciences, and Decoloniality—Knowledge and Contexts in Research and Teaching Practice, offered within the Graduate Program in Science and Mathematics Teaching at the Federal University of Uberlândia and delivered virtually to a group of in-service Basic Education professionals from various fields of knowledge, including Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Chemistry. Within the framework of the Ethnomathematics Program, the continuous professional development process supported the collective construction of knowledge by integrating interdisciplinary understandings and teaching experiences into formative practices centered on the collaborative planning of lessons and on learning assessment dynamics oriented toward the implementation of Law No. 10.639/2003. This process fostered a formative environment in which the teaching collective not only emphasized instruction but also foregrounded student learning, drawing on learners’ contexts and perspectives to promote critical reflection on their own pedagogical practices. Moreover, the continuous professional development initiative contributed to a process of analysis and (self-)development among the teacher educators, which became evident in two key dimensions: breaking away from epistemological constraints and challenging traditional assessment models.