The Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools (Obmep) has stirred up federal institutes across the country. Several institutions have held preparatory courses for their own students and also for students from public schools in the municipalities where they are headquartered. In addition to the focus on performance at Obmep, it has been an opportunity to integrate the school community. The first stage of the competition takes place on May 21.
In Joinville (SC), the Federal Institute of Santa Catarina (IFSC) partnered with the Zulma do Rosário Miranda Municipal School. There are 85 students assisted in two Level 1 classes, for sixth and seventh graders, and two Level 2 classes, for eighth and ninth graders. Classes are held after school hours and at the IFSC.
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“I saw Obmep as a way of improving the teaching of mathematics in schools in general”, says the project's coordinator and subject teacher, Paulo Amaro dos Santos. “Encouraging students to participate in Obmep, giving them better preparation, makes them end up gaining in the quality of mathematics teaching.”
Classes began in March and continue until the eve of the second stage of Obmep, with a break only during the July holidays. The classes are given by four IFSC students, who will also participate in the high school Obmep.
João Marques de Oliveira is one of the IFSC students who participates as a tutor in the project. He is 16 years old and is in the third semester of the integrated technical course in mechanics. “I have found it very interesting because I learn a lot from them, as well as pass on a little of my experience. This exchange is very interesting and is good for everyone, ”he reflects.
He has participated in four editions of Obmep during elementary school and won a gold medal in all of them. In high school he participated again and won the bronze medal. This year he will also be in the competition. And he took a liking to the teaching profession. “The project awakened in me this desire to be a teacher. I thought the experience of being in the classroom was fantastic”, she says.
Another Obmep medalist is student Bianca Retzlaff. At the age of 14, she is in the ninth year of the Zulma do Rosário Miranda Municipal School and has already participated in three competitions. Last year came the gold. “It is something very incredible! It's really good to think about everything that happens because of the gold medal. It's something magical,” she says. For her, classes with IFSC students are adding a lot of knowledge. “It's nice to have someone explain the content in person. I see you are helping me.”
On the Caxias campus of the Federal Institute of Maranhão (IFMA), mathematics professor Iramar Batista guides the study program for the institution's Obmep. He says that during the first phase of the competition, classes are aimed at IFMA students. Once this stage is concluded, the project will be open to students from public schools in the municipality.
“We prepare and give guidelines for our academics to carry out this work. I see the students very motivated because another objective of the project is also to offer teaching practice”, he explains.
148 high school students from the Caxias campus participate. And the course is being developed by academics from the degree course in Mathematics.
Created in 2005 to encourage the study of mathematics and identify talent in the area, Obmep is a national project aimed at schools Brazilian public and private institutions, carried out by the National Institute of Pure and Applied Mathematics (Impa), with the support of Sociedade Brasileira de Mathematics (SBM), and promoted with resources from the Ministries of Education and Science, Technology, Innovations and Communications (MCTIC).
Its main objectives are to stimulate and promote the study of mathematics, contribute to improving the quality of basic education, identify young talents and encourage their entry into universities, in the scientific and technologies.
In addition, it encourages the improvement of public school teachers, contributing to their professional development, contributes to the integration of Brazilian schools with public universities, research institutes and scientific societies and promotes social inclusion through the dissemination of knowledge.
The target audience is students from the sixth year of elementary school to the last year of high school. In 2018, more than 18 million students participated in the Olympics.
