Enabling Teachers to Perceive the Affordances of a Technologically Rich Learning Environment for Linear Functions in order to Design Units of Work Incorporating Best Practice

Abstract

A technology rich teaching and learning environment affords new ways of engaging students in learning mathematics. Teachers and students equally have to learn to become attuned to the affordances of technologically rich learning environments. This paper reports some preliminary findings from the Australian Research Council funded linkage project: RITEMATHS. The aim of this three year project is to enhance mathematics achievement and engagement by using technology to support real problem solving and lessons of high cognitive demand. The project is using a design research methodology to develop lesson sequences incorporating best practice. Findings from the first cycle of design research for the development and implementation of units for teaching linear functions in Year 9 will be reported. These are from classes in two schools where quite different approaches were taken to the teaching of linear functions. There was a selection of electronic technologies available to the teachers in the project at these schools including graphing calculators and computers with mathematical analysis tools such as the image digitiser, Grid Pic, and TI Interactive. Responses of students are presented from the classes that used electronic technologies to a task where information about several functions was initially in a numerical representation. These responses are discussed together with the results of document analysis of teacher work programs and student workbooks, and analyses of student and teacher interviews, lesson observational data, video tapes of teaching demonstrations and student task solving, and verbal reports by teachers of their practice. From a research perspective I am establishing what it is that enables teachers to perceive, attend to, and exploit affordances of the technology salient to their teaching practice and likewise for students in their learning about function.