This study arose out of concerns surrounding the understanding of dichotomous arguments about 'practice' in the context of teaching and learning of mathematics: on one hand are those that reveal the pragmatic concept of mathematics education, and on the other, those that understand it from a historical-critical perspective. Thus, the study problem is: What is the interpretation of 'practice' of Historical and Critical Pedagogy?  The objective is to analyze issues relating to the reference of 'practice', based on the assumptions of Historical and Critical Pedagogy. To this end, the research method is characterized through a literature review, adopting, as a theoretical basis, authors of Historical-Critical Pedagogy. The study argues that there cannot be a dichotomous coexistence of practice and theory. The indication that the appropriation of mathematical knowledge is practice/theory lies in its conceptual content, which enables students to adopt them as an element of analysis in situations that are presented both visually and in thought or mental activity.