Proof in dynamic geometry environments

This article suggests that there is a range of evidence that working with dynamic geometry software affords students possibilities of access to theoretical mathematics, something that can be particularly elusive with other pedagogical tools. Yet the paper concludes that further research into the use dynamic geometry software to support the development of students’ mathematical thinking could usefully focus on the nature of the tasks students tackle, the form of teacher input, and the role of the classroom environment and culture

Preservice teachers’ creation of dynamic geometry sketches to understand trigonometric relationships

Dynamic geometry software can help teachers highlight mathematical relationships in ways not possible with static diagrams. However, these opportunities are mediated by teachers' abilities to construct sketches that focus users' attention on the desired variant or invariant relationships. This paper looks at two cohorts of preservice secondary mathematics teachers and their attempts to build dynamic geometry sketches that highlighted the trigonometric relationship between the angle and slope of a line on the coordinate plane. We identify common challenges in the construction of these sketches and present examples for readers to interact with that highlight these issues. Lastly, we discuss ways that mathematics teacher educators can help beginning teachers understand common pitfalls in the building of dynamic geometry sketches, which can cause sketches not to operate as intended

Research bibliography: dynamic geometry software

This bibliography lists research that has investigated the use of dynamic geometry software (DGS) in the teaching and learning of mathematics. The bibliography is not intended to be exhaustive; rather it includes the major studies across the range of research that has been published

Proof in dynamic geometry contexts

Proof lies at the heart of mathematics yet we know from research in mathematics education that proof is an elusive concept for many mathematics students. The question that this paper raises is whether the introduction of dynamic geometry software will improve the situation – or whether it make the transition from informal to formal proof in mathematics even harder. Through discussion of research into innovative teaching approaches with computers the paper examines whether such approaches can assist pupils in developing a conceptual framework for proof, and in appropriating proof as a means to illuminate geometrical ideas

Book review: Teaching Mathematics with ICT, written by Adrian Oldknow and Ron Taylor, Continuum Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8264-4806-2 (pbk)

This book aims to provide practical advice on ways of using ICT to improve pupils' learning in mathematics. It covers the use of spreadsheets, TI Interactive, Derive, Logo, dynamic geometry software, and graphing calculators. The book is primarily aimed at teachers of mathematics in the secondary age-range, although teachers working outside this age-range should find plenty of food for thought. It is a book that should certainly appeal to mathematics teachers. It is not an easy book with instant answers but a book that will reward working with over time

Logic Integer Programming Models for Signaling Networks

We propose a static and a dynamic approach to model biological signaling networks, and show how each can be used to answer relevant biological questions. For this we use the two different mathematical tools of Propositional Logic and Integer Programming. The power of discrete mathematics for handling qualitative as well as quantitative data has so far not been exploited in Molecular Biology, which is mostly driven by experimental research, relying on first-order or statistical models. The arising logic statements and integer programs are analyzed and can be solved with standard software. For a restricted class of problems the logic models reduce to a polynomial-time solvable satisfiability algorithm. Additionally, a more dynamic model enables enumeration of possible time resolutions in poly-logarithmic time. Computational experiments are included

Processing mathematics through digital technologies: A reorganisation of student thinking?

This article reports on aspects of an ongoing study examining the use of digital media in mathematics education. In particular, it is concerned with how understanding evolves when mathematical tasks are engaged through digital pedagogical media in primary school settings. While there has been a growing body of research into software and other digital media that enhances geometric, algebraic, and statistical thinking in secondary schools, research of these aspects in primary school mathematics is still limited, and emerging intermittently. The affordances of digital technology that allow dynamic, visual interaction with mathematical tasks, the rapid manipulation of large amounts of data, and instant feedback to input, have already been identified as ways mathematical ideas can be engaged in alternative ways. How might these, and other opportunities digital media afford, transform the learning experience and the ways mathematical ideas are understood? Using an interpretive methodology, the researcher examined how mathematical thinking can be seen as a function of the pedagogical media through which the mathematics is encountered. The article gives an account of how working in a spreadsheet environment framed learners' patterns of social interaction, and how this interaction, in conjunction with other influences, mediated the understanding of mathematical ideas, through framing the students' learning pathways and facilitating risk taking