“The beauty of the rainbow is accessible to everyone. But anyone who knows that, within each tiny droplet of water present there, a phenomenon called refraction occurs, responsible for splitting light into that spectrum of colors, has a different experience.” The reflection put forward by H. E. Huntley in the book The Divine Proportion invites us to consider that knowledge expands our sensory experience of the world. It is not just a matter of seeing, but of understanding what we see. Thus, through mathematics, it is possible to learn to read the world in a different way.
At be.Living, we understand mathematics as a way of interpreting, representing, and relating to the world, going far beyond the application of rules or the repetition of procedures. It is conceived as a language, a way of thinking and organizing experience. With the aim of strengthening this perspective in the teaching and learning of mathematics, we held a professional development program with our teachers, led by the Mathematics Education specialist Priscila Monteiro.
“be.Living grounds its work in the didactics of mathematics, both in Early Childhood Education and in Elementary School. To think about the didactics of mathematics is to think about how we experience this teaching and learning process, viewing mathematics as a language, as a way of being in the world and of understanding it,” says Gabriela Fernandes, Pedagogical Coordinator of the Elementary School segment.
This conception resonates with scholars who argue that learning is an active, investigative, and meaningful process. According to researcher Guy Brousseau, learning mathematics involves creating a mathematical community within the school where children can tackle problems, discuss strategies, engage in reasoning, and collaboratively construct meaning. “Just as you learn to speak by talking, you learn mathematics by doing math,” explains Gabriela.
In practice, this means creating opportunities where children can think critically, experiment, make mistakes, document, and revisit their ideas, building knowledge through meaningful experiences. “For children in this age group, mathematics must be closely connected to the world itself. Learning only happens when it is meaningful, when the child is able to connect with what is being proposed. That is why mathematics here is strongly grounded in games and in situations where children feel safe, engaged, and interested, because that is how they are able to understand this logical functioning and truly appropriate the knowledge,” explains Gabriela.
The decision to offer a professional development program in mathematics arose from the understanding that the curriculum is a living organism, one that needs to be continually revisited. In addition, according to the coordinator, many educators carry personal histories of distance from mathematics, since the field is still socially perceived as difficult, rigid, or inaccessible. Training, in this sense, is also a space for expanding the repertoire and repurposing the relationship with mathematics.
“Bringing professional development into the school means revisiting this area, understanding the changes currently taking place in the teaching and learning process, and inviting teachers to adopt a broader perspective on this field of knowledge. When it is well taught, mathematics becomes a source of pleasure rather than suffering,” she says, Gabriela Fernandes.
The professional development journey began with joint meetings between the Early Childhood Education and Elementary School teams, with the goal of reflecting on what mathematics means at be.Living: what is intended to be taught, how it is meant to be taught, and what kinds of experiences are meant to be offered to children. In a second phase, the teams split up to examine their curricula in greater depth, identifying areas of strength and aspects that needed to be revisited.
“From this analysis, we will make the necessary changes over time. It is a process that carries great expectation, because mathematics is a challenging area”, says Gabriela. One of the central aspects of this approach is the role of the teacher as someone who asks thoughtful questions, creating opportunities for children to deepen and advance their thinking.
“The mathematics we believe in is one in which teachers need to always be ready for good questions. The best answers always come from good questions. “Children surprise us with questions that we often had never even considered ourselves,” she reflects. According to her, this requires teachers to engage deeply with the curriculum and to recognize that a mathematics curriculum goes beyond what is explicitly stated, encompassing also the principles that inform pedagogical choices.
It is expected that this professional development will translate directly into meaningful gains in children’s learning. “We are very confident that team training has a highly effective impact on learning. Especially because our teachers are deeply committed to pedagogical practice and to ongoing study,” says Gabriela. According to Gabi, the impact is already beginning to show in the classroom proposals, which are inspired by the discussions and reflections fostered during the professional development program.
Looking ahead to 2026, the school expects to consolidate this perspective on the mathematics curriculum, clearly tracking children’s learning progressions. “Our intention is to end the year seeing these advances very clearly and satisfied with the curriculum we have built, so that it continues to be lived, expanded, and deepened in the coming years,” concludes the coordinator.
In this sense, learning mathematics at be.Living means expanding the way one sees the world, much like understanding the phenomenon of the rainbow allows one to experience its beauty in a deeper and more meaningful way.
