RUME 25
2023
Omaha, Nebraska
“The runner jumped back?”: Developing Productive Understandings of Symbolization Through Animations and Applets
Page: 192
In this report, I discuss one potential role an applet plays in the context of a teaching experiment. Mathematics students are constantly tasked with understanding mathematical notation, which is often context-dependent or sometimes loosely defined. While the purpose of mathematical symbolization is to help mathematicians communicate concisely, researchers have indicated that students have difficulties understanding and utilizing mathematical notation to represent quantities. Therefore, examining the mechanisms by which students can refine their understandings into more conventional ones can be of value to the field of mathematics education. This study provides an example of using applets to help students engage in reflective discourse. The findings of this study indicate that giving students a medium to visualize their mathematics can support them in understanding what their mathematical symbolization actually represents.