The role of technology for the development and use of mathematical understanding
Analyzing data of student interest to stimulate elaborative learning.
Publisher: T³ Europe
Author: Helmut Heugl
Topic: Mathematik
The most topical problem at the moment is the Corona pandemic. So many data are published and even politicians try to explain the exponential growth – not always successful. A great advantage of technology in problem solving is the use of larger amounts of data.
The paper falls into two parts:
- Part 1: What can we learn from Mathematics about Corona?
- Part 2: What can we learn from Corona about mathematics?
Didactical comments:
- Favorable for the stimulation of elaborative learning is that the given problem is also interesting for the students.
- In the classroom one would start with open questions. Students should at first discuss what tasks are interesting or possible.
- It is not enough to use technology as a black box for calculating and for experimenting. More than ever an exactifying learning phase is necessary.
- The experimental learning phase often at first possible when using technology must not replace the exactifying phase, it must prepare it or show the necessity.
- The goal of mathematics is not only to learn something about the applied problem it is also necessary to learn and to understand the used mathematics.
