This paper presents a case of collaboration with three teachers and a didactician on task development within a developmental research project based on ideas of inquiry and learning community. The teachers' goal was to utilise a spreadsheet to orchestrate the pupils' investigations and build a library of tasks for the classroom. The focus…

This article is meant to present a specific elaboration of the notion of mediation in relation to the use of artefacts to enhance mathematics teaching and learning: the elaboration offered by the Theory of Semiotic Mediation. In particular, it provides an explicit model--consistent with the activity-actions-operations framework--of the actions…

The research presented here is a group case study of students learning calculus in a Computer Algebra System (CAS) environment which examines the following research questions: What are students' perceptions of the role of technology in their learning? What is the students' relationship to CAS? What is the effect of learning in a CAS environment on…

In a previous report, Neumann (2010) described the use of interactive computer-based simulations in the assessment of statistical concepts. This assessment approach combined declarative knowledge of statistics with experiences in interacting with computer-based simulations. The aim of the present study was to conduct a systematic evaluation of the…

Discrete Mathematics instructors and students have long been struggling with various labelling and scanning algorithms for solving many important problems. This paper shows how to solve a wide variety of Discrete Mathematics and OR problems using assignment matrices and linear programming, specifically using Excel Solvers although the same…

In this paper, we study how prospective teachers guide students' reasoning in GeoGebra-supported inquiry tasks. Twenty prospective mathematics teachers wrote about how they would react as a teacher in hypothetical situations where high school students present their GeoGebra-supported solutions to the teacher. Before writing their reactions, the…

This paper looks at research based models that have been put forward to describe how teacher use of technology develops. There have been a variety of studies that have proposed levels that describe teacher use of technology and identify the different aspects of use that distinguish these levels. Very few of these studies have shown how teachers…

Three-dimensional dynamic geometry software has the power to enhance students' learning of spatial geometry. The purpose of this research is to clarify what potential using three-dimensional dynamic geometry software can offer us in terms of how to develop the spatial geometry curriculum in lower secondary schools. By focusing on the impacts the…

Most students in U.S. universities are required to take a collection of core courses regardless of their degree or major. These courses are known as "general education" courses. The general education requirements typically include at least one mathematics course. Unfortunately each year hundreds of thousands of students in the US do not succeed in…

In the current study we follow the development of the pedagogical procedure for the course "Constructions in Geometry" that resulted from using dynamic geometry software (DGS), where the computer became an integral part of the educational process. Furthermore, we examine the influence of integrating DGS into the course on students' achievement and…

In mathematics education, physical manipulatives such as algebra tiles, pattern blocks, and two-colour counters are commonly used to provide concrete models of abstract concepts. With these traditional manipulatives, people can communicate with the tools only in one another's presence. This limitation poses difficulties concerning assessment and…

There are a variety of technologies that are increasingly being integrated into mathematics classrooms for their potential to increase student engagement, motivation, understanding, and achievement. YouTube can be an especially useful technology for students to create, share and interact with others, and learn more about mathematics. However, the…

Is it possible to study the ergonomic affordances offered by a system designed for educational aims and their transformation into cultural affordances? To this purpose, what references can we adopt? This work describes the theoretical framework used to realise this study referring to AlNuSet, a system realised within the EC ReMath project to…

The research presented in this paper relies on Activity Theory and particularly on Engestrom's model, to better understand the use of Electronic-Exercise-Bases (EEB) by mathematics teachers. This theory provides a holistic approach to illustrate the complexity of the EEB integration. The results highlight reasons and ways of using EEB and show…

A teaching innovation for first year engineering students' was designed to involve inquiry-based questions, an electronic graphical medium, small group activity and modifications to assessment. The use of an inquiry approach was intended to encourage students' deeper engagement with mathematics and more conceptual understanding. Data were…