Teaching mathematics through everyday life contexts

Abstract

The teaching of mathematics has evolved significantly from an abstract discipline to become an essential tool for understanding and solving everyday problems. This article analyzes the influence of mathematics teaching through the contexts of everyday life on the understanding, interest and perceived usefulness of this subject by students of Basic Education, promoting meaningful learning in their daily environment. A field study was carried out with 61 students of the Basic Education career of the Quevedo State Technical University (UTEQ), using surveys to evaluate the perception of the use of everyday contexts. It was contextualized that this approach significantly reinforces the relationship between theory and practice, considering that mathematical concepts, when taught linked to daily life, have a tangible practical utility. This finding highlights how contextualization contributes to the development of competencies that transcend the classroom, reinforcing the perception of mathematics as an essential and applicable discipline. Likewise, it is argued that overcoming traditional methods requires the integration of constructivist theories, such as those proposed by Piaget and Vygotsky, which consider the student as an active agent in the construction of knowledge, and these perspectives emphasize the importance of involving the learner in meaningful experiences by providing practical and conceptual tools that promote meaningful and relevant learning in the current context, consolidating that these competencies transcend the boundaries of the classroom.