Teaching Mathematics and its Applications Advance Access originally published online on December 11, 2007
Teaching Mathematics and its Applications 2008 27(1):24-37; doi:10.1093/teamat/hrm018
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Using dynamic geometry software to convey real-world situations into the classroom: the experience of student mathematics teachers with a minimum network problem
Address for correspondence: Dr Bulent Guven, Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Education, Department of Secondary School Science and Mathematics Education, 61335, Turkey. Tel: +90-462-248-71-72, Fax: +90-462-248-73-44, E-mail: bguven{at}ktu.edu.tr
Submitted February 2007; accepted October 2007
As any ordinary person knows, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. What, then, is the shortest distance between three points? Four points? The study reported in this article deals with the observed actions of Turkish student mathematics teachers as they were working with minimal network problems. Having analysed the mathematization processes of student mathematics teachers in computerized environment, I describe here how new mathematical relationships can be discovered from real-world situations. The results showed that using real world situations in computerized classrooms leaves the doors open for the students for decision making, experimental verification, conjecturing and even for construction of proofs.
Bulent Guven is an assistant professor in Secondary Science and Math Education Department at Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey. He is interested in computer based mathematics education, geometry instruction and spherical geometry.