Science Education, Inventive Mathematics Education, and Educational Robotics: Understandings Produced by Students During an Investigative Synthesis Experience with an Interactive Book on the Cerrado Phytophysiognomies

Abstract

The Cerrado is characterized by its high biodiversity and the diversity of phytophysiognomies distributed across grassland, savanna, and forest formations. Despite this environmental richness, Basic Education students often experience difficulties in understanding these formations in an integrated way. In this context, this study aimed to analyze the understandings produced by students during the development of the Classification Synthesis module of the Educational Product Educational Robotics in the Cerrado, developed from the perspective of Inventive Mathematics Education with Educational Robotics. This qualitative study was conducted from the perspective of cartographic intervention research. The Educational Product was developed through experiences carried out with 69 seventh-grade students in 2024, who collaborated in the composition of inventive worlds by building scale models, assembling and programming educational robots, and producing videos. Subsequently, the interactive book was shared with 33 seventh-grade students in 2025. The present study analyzes the understandings produced by the group of six students responsible for the Classification Synthesis module, based on their responses to the investigative questions, graphical productions, written records, and the evaluation produced at the end of the experience. The analysis revealed three analytical movements: the organization of the Cerrado phytophysiognomies into grassland, savanna, and forest formations; the expansion of understandings about the phytophysiognomic diversity of the Cerrado; and the production of meanings regarding the investigative process. The results indicate that the Classification Synthesis module fostered the production of understandings about the organization of the Cerrado phytophysiognomies through the classification proposed by Ribeiro and Walter (2008), enabling students to recognize, relate, and integrate different grassland, savanna, and forest formations. By analyzing the classification scheme available in the interactive book, the students identified previously known phytophysiognomies, recognized others that had not yet been directly explored, and established relationships among grassland, savanna, and forest formations, producing a more integrated understanding of the biome's phytophysiognomic diversity. It is concluded that investigative synthesis activities promote the integration of understandings produced throughout investigative learning pathways, highlighting the potential of the articulation between Science Teaching, Inventive Mathematics Education, and Educational Robotics in Basic Education.