ERIC Number: EJ1133332
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 28
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2211-1662
EISSN: N/A
Delving into the Nature of Problem Solving Processes in a Dynamic Geometry Environment: Different Technological Effects on Cognitive Processing
Kuzle, Ana
Technology, Knowledge and Learning, v22 n1 p37-64 Apr 2017
Students regularly struggle with mathematical tasks, particularly those concerning non-routine problems in geometry. Although educators would like for their learners to transfer their knowledge to non-routine and real-life situations, students run into a number of difficulties. The goal of this exploratory study was to analyze three participants' problem solving processes in a dynamic geometry software (DGS), and therefore, gain insights about how DGS was used to support solving non-routine geometry problems. Here I viewed the DGS as a cognitive tool that can enhance and reorganize the problem solving process. The three participants were in different phases of their educational career in mathematics and/or mathematics education (bachelor, master, and doctoral student). Only one problem--the Land Boundary Problem--from the TIMSS video study will be discussed here. In this problem, the participants had to straighten a bent fence between two farmers' land so that each farmer would keep the same amount of land. All three participants solved the problem, but used the same computer-based problem-solving tool differently. While a DGS allowed and supported some participants to discover new methods of thinking, and unanticipated ways of using it, it also inhibited the problem solving processes through development of tool-dependency by some. Its different use was dependent on the presence of managerial decisions, ability to manage different resources, and problem solving experience. Based on these findings, I make recommendations for technology-embedded problem solving with an emphasis on the importance of appropriate tool use in educational settings and offer some teaching methods that may be worthwhile for research.
Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Problem Solving, Geometry, Computer Software, Educational Technology, Teaching Methods, College Mathematics, College Students, Mathematical Concepts, Cognitive Processes, Technology Uses in Education, Inhibition, Teacher Education Programs
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A