The process of selection of Mathematical textbooks in public Primary Education: challenges for pedagogical management of municipal schools in Macapa

Even though the book is an artifact which still makes its presence known in school classrooms, many educators still have a certain amount of difficulty choosing this type of teaching material adequately; very often the book is the only teaching resource available in the public space of teaching (Batista, 2003). Worthy of note is the fact that Mathematics is still the leading subject which causes difficulty for students in Brazil's state schools, and the situation in the state of Amapa is the same. At the same time, a variety of studies have demonstrated the importance that the book still has (Lajolo, 1996). This article investigated the process of choosing mathematics books in level II primary schools in the city of Macapa (Amapa). The study included the participation of 12 mathematics teachers from 6 schools in this city within the period that mathematics books were being chosen. A questionnaire with open and closed questions was applied to each participant, and later on the data were considered quantitatively and qualitatively. The results indicate the necessity for altering the importance of teaching books in their use and the necessity for creating spaces for reflection in favor of the mathematics teacher who chooses a mathematics book.