PROCEEDINGS OF THE 20TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2017
San Diego, California
Perturbing practice: The effects of virtual manipulatives as novel didactic objects on instruction
Page: 1380
The advancement of technology has significantly changed the practices of numerous professions, including teaching. When a school first adopts a new technology, established classroom practices are perturbed. These perturbations can have both positive and negative effects on teachers’ abilities to teach mathematical concepts with the new technology. Therefore, before new technology can be introduced into mathematics classrooms, we need to better understand how technology affects instruction. Using interviews and classroom observations, I explored perturbations in mathematical classroom practice as an instructor implemented novel didactic objects. In particular, the instructor was using didactic objects designed to lay the foundation for developing a conceptual understanding of rational functions through the coordination of relative magnitudes of the numerator and denominator. The results are organized according to a framework that captures leader actions, communication, expectations of technology, roles, timing, student engagement, and mathematical conceptions.