PROCEEDINGS OF THE 23RD ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2020
Boston, Massachusetts
Differentiating between quadratic and exponential change via covariational reasoning: A case study
Page: 614
Quadratic and exponential relationships are important topics in school mathematics. However, there is limited research examining students’ understandings of these relationships. In this paper, we present data from a semester long teaching experiment with a pre-service teacher in which we examined ways in which she could leverage covariational reasoning to differentiate between quadratic and exponential change. Whereas in the pre-interview, the student did not have meanings that supported her in differentiating between the relationships, her experiences in the teaching experiment supported her in developing more robust meanings. By the end of the teaching experiment, the student could differentiate between quadratic and exponential change.