Sociocritical mathematical thinking for the learning of the metric-decimal system from the agroindustrial context

This article presents a teaching strategy based on sociocritical mathematical thinking, oriented to the learning of the decimal metric system in middle school students of the Instituto Buenavista (Quindío, Colombia). The proposal seeks to encourage critical, reflective and participatory thinking, linked to the construction of a fairer society. To this end, learning environments were designed contextualised in the social, economic, cultural and environmental reality of the community, integrating activities related to local agro-industrial exploitation, which is part of the institution’s technical secondary education. The methodology used was one of emancipatory action, allowing the generation of knowledge from the lived reality, through reflection, argumentation and the articulation between theory and practice. Collective work, group discussion and the shared construction of knowledge were promoted, strengthening the students’ understanding of the environment and their research skills. As a result, a positive impact was evidenced both in the learning of the decimal metric system and in the socio-economic projection of the students in their municipality, highlighting the relevance of this system as a basis for other scientific disciplines.