This paper reports on the role of the graphing calculator (GC) in the learning of derivatives and instantaneous rate of change. In a longitudinal study, we administered task based interviews before and after the introduction of calculus. We analyzed students' use of the GC in these interviews. This paper reports on the case of one student, Andy,…

This paper reports an instrumental case study of the strategies employed by Year 11 students engaged in solving a functions population task. The task was implemented as part of a study of students studying functions in a Technology-Rich Teaching and Learning Environment (TRTLE). Student strategies related to the perception and enactment of…

This paper reports on a mixed methods study of 111 AP calculus students' self-reports of their graphing calculator use, comfort, and rationale when choosing between mathematical solutions produced with and without a graphing calculator. [For the complete proceedings, see ED585874.]

"Report of a Workshop on the Scope and Nature of Computational Thinking" presents a number of perspectives on the definition and applicability of computational thinking. For example, one idea expressed during the workshop is that computational thinking is a fundamental analytical skill that everyone can use to help solve problems, design…

This research focuses on the graphics calculator in calculus and its impact on students' abilities to work with graphical, numerical, and symbolic representations. Three courses are compared, two of which are taught with less emphasis on the use of graphing calculators. The format of the course emphasizing calculator use is more traditional than…

Computer algebra system (CAS) calculators are becoming increasingly common in schools and universities. While they offer quite sophisticated mathematical capability to teachers and students, it is not clear at present how they may best be employed. In particular their integration into students' learning and problem-solving remains an issue. In…

Three preliminary studies and one exploratory main study investigated the effect of calculator use on elementary, middle, and secondary school students' solution methods on routine mathematical problems. Items were identified for which a longer and a shorter solution method existed. Half of the sample worked these using a calculator and half used…

One hundred twenty-eight undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of four treatment conditions formed by crossing two levels of task difficulty (computationally easy or difficult problems) with two modes of calculation (solving by hand or calculator). When solving problems by hand, there was a large increase in state anxiety between easy and…

This paper has two goals. The first is to present a model of the acquisition of a concept image of function. Theories describing the objectification of function are outlined through two different but related paths, and both stem from the conception of function as a process. The first path to objectification involves the generalization of the…

Since 1997 the Ministry of Education in Mexico has been sponsoring a national project in which technology (computers and TI-92 calculators) is used to support the teaching of mathematics at secondary school level (children aged 12 to 15 years old). One of our concerns during this project was to investigate if its implementation affects some of the…

This paper was presented at the 1979 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Francisco. It describes specific examples of calculator-aided mathematics learning activities for children in grades 2-6. These examples illustrate a variety of topics and types of learning which can be enhanced by a range of capabilities of…

This paper, presented at the 1979 meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in San Francisco, discusses the effects of calculator availability on the elementary school mathematics curriculum. The rationale for a shift from a computationally based curriculum to a conceptually oriented curriculum utilizing the calculator as an…

This paper presents an inquiry into teaching and learning practices in a Year 11 mathematics class at a private college for girls in Western Australia, studying a topic on vectors. The focus is on learning through problem-solving, where students used graphics calculators as a matter of routine. Constructivist and sociocultural theories were…

This document views mathematics instruction as an area that was developed to deal with experiences of the real world, and that needs to change in response to the realities of today's world. To insure the continued teaching of significant ideas and skills, certain traditional topics must be deleted from the curriculum and new ones added. Teaching…

Activities to extend the core curriculum through the study of the periodicity of rational numbers to help students develop calculator and research skills are presented. Four worksheets are included, to be used as discovery activities. A computer program is listed, as well as examples of periodic pictures. (MNS)