The Use of Heuristic Procedures in School Mathematics

Heuristic procedures constitute a group of mental resources that include principles, strategies, rules and programs that facilitate the search for a solution to problems, and are applicable in all sciences. Its use in mathematics classes leads to the process of teaching to think, promoting the development of students' thinking. This work presents a work whose main objective is to analyze and describe the reality of the use of heuristic procedures in Mathematics classes by teachers and students, at the 2nd cycle of secondary education level. The reality is described not only from the teacher's performance in the classroom through classroom observation, but also in the curricular programs, textbooks and all the activities produced by the students. The last part is dedicated to the presentation of the didactic strategy elaborated from the described reality and based on the perspective of the mathematician George Polya and his followers, validated by means of the technique of the criterion of experts. We are sure that the work will be a valuable help for educators and teachers.