The teaching of Mathematics to students with blindness in the pandemic period

experiences and perceptions of the teacher

Abstract

Reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic and the social distancing experienced from the year 2020 onwards, many educational institutions joined remote teaching on an emergency basis. In this context, teaching Mathematics to students with blindness became more challenging, so teachers needed to rethink their teaching strategies, as well as the use of digital resources in the design of teaching materials. Thus, in this article, the objective was to know the professional context of a Mathematics teacher who works teaching students with blindness, as well as to investigate the methodologies and digital resources adopted by this teacher in remote teaching, which resulted from the coronavirus pandemic. For this, a qualitative and exploratory methodology was used, with the production of data carried out from an online semi-structured interview through a video call platform. From the discursive textual analysis on the interview, it was verified, in the context of the teacher, of an institution specialized in visual impairment, that there is a concern of this organization and the teacher to have and use resources that favor the academic and social development of the students with blindness. However, it was also observed that there is a shortage of mediators, due to the increase in students with multiple disabilities, that is, with blindness associated with another disability. Regarding the pandemic scenario, the teaching of Mathematics for students with blindness could not be carried out with specific methodologies that use tactile resources such as the soroban and the geoplan. However, there was knowledge and use of digital resources, such as podcasts and Google Classroom, which were accessible tools that helped those students to learn.