MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN THE AMAZON: INTERDISCIPLINARY, REFLECTIVE, AND INCLUSIVE PATHWAYS IN HIGH SCHOOL

Abstract

Mathematics occupies a strategic role in basic education as it contributes to understanding the world and solving everyday problems. However, in High School, students often perceive it as an abstract subject with limited connection to local realities, which may compromise motivation and learning. In the Amazonian context, marked by broad socio-environmental, cultural, and economic diversity, the contextualization of mathematical concepts becomes more consistent when associated with interdisciplinary, reflective, and inclusive approaches. This article presents the results of a qualitative exploratory investigation developed within the project Mathematics is Vital: Interdisciplinarity, Reflection, and Inclusiveness in the Amazon, part of the Science at School Program (PCE), funded by FAPEAM in 2025. The research was conducted with High School students from Escola Estadual Deputado Vital de Mendonça, in Itacoatiara, Amazonas, Brazil, and was grounded in the principles of inquiry-based learning. Methodological procedures included observation and document analysis, enabling an examination of how the articulation between interdisciplinarity, reflection, and inclusion contributed to more contextualized pedagogical practices. The results indicate advances in the social relevance of teaching, the strengthening of student protagonism, and the development of critical thinking in Mathematics.