ERIC Number: EJ1233556
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Nov
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1863-9690
EISSN: N/A
Supporting Primary School Students' Reasoning about Motion Graphs through Physical Experiences
Duijzer, Carolien; Van den Heuvel-Panhuizen, Marja; Veldhuis, Michiel; Doorman, Michiel
ZDM: The International Journal on Mathematics Education, v51 n6 p899-913 Nov 2019
Reasoning about graphical representations representing dynamic data (e.g., distance changing over time), including interpreting, creating, changing, combining, and comparing graphs, can be considered a domain-specific operationalization of the general twenty-first century skills of creative, critical thinking and solving problems. This paper addresses the issue of how these 21st century skills of interpreting and creating graphs can be supported in a six-lesson teaching sequence about graphing motion. In this teaching sequence, we focused on the potential of an embodied learning environment to facilitate the development of primary school students' reasoning about motion graphs by having primary school students (9-11 years) 'walk' graphs in front of a motion sensor to generate distance-time graphs. We asked: "How does students' reasoning about graphing motion develop over a six-lesson teaching sequence within an embodied learning environment?" Based on the collected data, we examined changes in students' level of reasoning on graph interpretation and graph construction tasks using a repeated measurement design. Additionally, we present two teaching episodes showing instances of how perceptual-motor experiences during the lessons aided students' reasoning about graphical representations of motion. Results show that students went from iconic understanding towards understanding in which they reasoned based on one or two variables when interpreting and constructing graphical representations of motion events. At these higher levels of reasoning these students showed understanding of modelling motion in line with the intended 21st century skills of generating, refining, and evaluating graphs.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Motion, Graphs, Thinking Skills, Teaching Methods, Comparative Analysis, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, 21st Century Skills, Creativity, Lesson Plans, Skill Development, Task Analysis, Perceptual Motor Coordination, Concept Formation, Mathematics Instruction, Scientific Concepts
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A