Unicamp started an unprecedented project for the deaf community in Brazil: holding a summer workshop in which deaf high school students will be able to solve problems and face mathematical challenges, thus contributing to strengthening their mathematics vocabulary in Libras . Registration is free and continues until November 25th.
The selected students will stay for two weeks on the Unicamp campus, in Campinas. The objective of the “Matemática+Libras” initiative is to promote and enrich the vocabulary, in Libras, of mathematical terms that may not exist or are not disseminated in Brazilian Sign Language.
With the deficit that exists today, deaf teachers and students face communication difficulties in the classroom that impact the learning process.
Deaf high school students who enjoy mathematics and are fluent in Libras can sign up for the workshop. The workshop will be held from January 16th to 27th, 2023. The program also includes social activities and an experience on the Unicamp campus. At the end, students will record short videos solving some mathematical problems, using the signals they have developed and thus contributing to their dissemination.
The program is carried out by the Dean of Extension and Culture at Unicamp (Proec) and organized by the Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computing (IMECC) and the Mathematics Olympiad at Unicamp (OMU). The project is completely free and Unicamp will offer food and a stipend of R$ 1.760,00 for accommodation within the University itself.
Francisca Aglaiza Romão Sedrim Gonçalves, Mathematics teacher at the public school system in the State of Ceará and one of the creators of the project, says that when she took her first Libras course she discovered that there was no signage (a collection of manual signs) for many of the mathematics terms.
“A lot of things in mathematics are visual or tangible, but language is extremely important in the construction of knowledge. You don't see a mathematics teacher presenting a result or teasing his students in silence. As much as it is possible to teach mathematics using visual resources, the mother tongue is a channel of rapprochement between the student and the object of study”, she explains.
Given this context, Unicamp recognized the importance of supporting the initiative. Fernando Coelho, Dean of Extension, explains that the project aims to meet a serious demand, but unknown to the general public. “In this way, Unicamp makes a valuable contribution so that, over time, we have a public policy that meets the demands of deaf people, also expanding this effort to other subjects besides mathematics,” he said.
Marcelo Firer, professor at IMECC and responsible for taking the project to Unicamp, believes that in this first workshop it will be possible to explore a path to, at least, reduce problems in the education of deaf people. “The project was designed so that the selected students have a rich experience and mathematical growth, at the same time that they can contribute to the enrichment of the deaf community”, he states.
Details: Mathematics+Libras
Registration from 21/10 to 25/11
Publication of the results of the first selection stage and schedule for interviews with parents or teachers: 30/11
Second selection stage, including interview with family or teacher: 2/12
Announcement of the final results of the selection: 15/12
Workshop at Unicamp: January 16th to 27th, 2023
