Potiguar wins gold medal in mathematics Olympiad and is among the 10 best teachers in the subject in Brazil | large northern river

Kácio José Cardoso from Rio Grande do Norte was one of the 10 gold medalists in the 1st High School Mathematics Teachers Olympiad (OPMbr). The result was announced on Wednesday night (27) by the event organizers.

As part of the prize, First place winners in the Olympics will be taken on a two-week trip to Shanghaia Chinese city that leads world rankings for teaching the subject.

“My feeling is gratitude. I wanted to thank everyone who in some way helped me achieve this. It hasn’t sunk in yet, I’m still in disbelief, but the feeling is gratitude for my parents, who did everything they could to make me for me to stay in school, for me to have an education; for the mathematics teachers who came into my life, who inspired me to pursue this area that I love so much and that I want to contribute a lot to; and to my team, my co-workers. Without a doubt, I wouldn’t be here without them”, said the teacher.

The presentation of the Olympic winners took place online and the 10 winners were presented in alphabetical order (see the video below).

Mathematics teacher from RN is gold medalist in Olympics

Every day the two met to do accounts and ensure adequate payment to dozens of farming professionals.

“He did the math in his head and I had to confirm everything on the calculator. Over time, I became interested in calculations and in learning all the rules of mathematics”, says the teacher at the state education network in Rio Grande do Norte , working at the State Center for Professional Education Professor Lourdinha Guerra.

Kácio is the only one of the four children who attended higher education. His father attended the school for a few years. “Still in elementary school, I started going to school at night to accompany my mother, who had stopped studying to raise me and my three brothers”, reported the teacher.

From the age of 15 to 17, the teacher shared high school with the routine of being a coconut peeler. He earned R$18 reais for every thousand coconuts peeled. Per day, I received around R$25 reais. Knowing Kácio’s talent and the importance of education, mathematics professor Cláudio Palhano encouraged the student to enroll in the entrance exam for the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN). Kácio took the test and passed the entrance exam for mathematics. He joined the course in 2008 and graduated in 2011.

In the same year that he completed the course, the teacher passed a competition for the state education network and the master’s degree at UFRN. Due to his work routine, he was unable to complete his postgraduate degree, but returned to the institution and is currently studying his master’s degree.

The teacher says he found out about the Teachers’ Olympiad through an announcement made by the management of the school where he works. At first, he believed that the competition would involve tests on mathematical knowledge, but he discovered that, in fact, professionals would be evaluated on the didactics used in their classes. And in this he stands out.

The assessment stages included a test, a video describing your professional career and an interview.

While working as a teacher, Kácio created chess games and even took students to state competitions, he also developed the game “Define Mathematically” to teach the theory behind mathematical elements and created the subject “Mathematics and Art”.

In discipline, he teaches students about how works of art carry different geometric styles. In the same way that a dance can also contain different elements. At the end of the course, students create a work of art using the concepts learned.

“Mathematics expands our way of seeing the world. My quest is always to make learning closer to everyday life, more interdisciplinary and, thus, they connect with the subject, and learning happens naturally”, highlights the professor.

According to the organization of the Olympics, one of the objectives of the event is to recognize initiatives by teachers who have made students lose their fear of the subject and achieve success in mathematics. According to the organization, Brazil occupies the 65th position in the ranking of 81 countries that participated in the last International Student Assessment Program (Pisa), released at the end of last year, taking into account the results in the area of ​​Mathematics.

On the other hand, Brazil reached level 5 in the International Mathematical Union (IMU) assessment, which recognizes researchers and teachers worldwide. The trip to Shanghai is an opportunity, according to the organization, to improve the work of Brazilian professionals. Shanghai has been highlighted for years due to its performance in Pisa.

“It will be a unique opportunity for immersion, learning and exchange of knowledge, helping to improve the quality of teaching in the subject to boost Brazil’s position in the world rankings, in the medium and long term”, said Adauto Caldara, member of the Olympics Management Council .