ERIC Number: EJ896754
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2010-Oct
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1571-0068
EISSN: N/A
"Reinventing" Techniques for the Estimation of the Area of Irregular Plane Figures: From the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Classroom
Papadopoulos, Ioannis
International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, v8 n5 p869-890 Oct 2010
The issue of the area of irregular shapes is absent from the modern mathematical textbooks in elementary education in Greece. However, there exists a collection of books written for educational purposes by famous Greek scholars dating from the eighteenth century, which propose certain techniques concerning the estimation of the area of such shapes. We claim that, when students deal for an adequate period with a succession of carefully designed tasks of the same conceptual basis--in our case that of the area of irregular shapes--then they "reinvent" problem-solving techniques for the estimation of their area, given that they have not been taught anything about these shapes. These techniques, in some cases, are almost the same as the abovementioned historical ones. In other cases, they could be considered to be an adaptation or extension of these.
Descriptors: Textbooks, Elementary Education, Foreign Countries, Mathematics Instruction, Computation, Mathematical Concepts, Problem Solving, Geometric Concepts, Elementary School Mathematics, History
Springer. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: service-ny@springer.com; Web site: http://www.springerlink.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Greece
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A