Tangram as a Playful Resource in the Teaching of Plane Geometry

an experience with future teachers

Abstract

This work reports a didactic-pedagogical experience using Tangram in the teaching of Plane Geometry for the Early Years of Elementary Education, developed during an extension project linked to the subject Methodology of Mathematics Teaching (2nd year of the Mathematics Degree – Unespar/Paranavaí). The proposal aimed to explore concepts of Euclidean Plane Geometry through the concrete manipulation of Tangram, involving 44 prospective teachers from the Teacher Training Technical Course, divided into three groups (three class hours each). The methodology, structured in four stages (historical contextualization, material construction, assembly dynamics, and content formalization), resembled a didactic sequence with a Game-Based Learning approach. In accordance with the BNCC (General Competence 9), which values cooperation, and the PCNs/Mathematics, which advocate games and collaborative work, the workshop promoted interaction and experimentation with geometric concepts. The theoretical framework dialogues with Moura (1992), Heck (2018), and Sostisso et al. (2009), and is reinforced by Lorenzato (2006), who emphasizes that manipulable materials bridge the gap between concrete practice and theoretical understanding. The results revealed skills such as logical reasoning, spatial perception, creativity, and, to a lesser extent, teamwork. After initial difficulties, some participants realized the need to rotate and reflect pieces to form figures, which made subsequent assemblies faster — an evolution explained by the Van Hiele Theory, which describes the transition from visualization to analysis, when students begin to recognize geometric properties and transformations. The workshop also related Tangram to other contents, such as polygons, area, perimeter, proportionality, fractions, and percentages, though without deepening these topics. It is concluded that Tangram, when articulated and mediated by the teacher, is an effective resource for teaching Plane Geometry, fostering specific concepts, cooperation, and meaningful knowledge construction, aligned with BNCC and PCNs guidelines.