Meaning making in a sixth-grade mathematics classroom through touch screen technology

Abstract

This paper presents a case study of two sixth-grade students' use of an iPad as an instructional tool for mathematics. Based on their written and oral responses, we investigated and analyzed their meaning making process with mathematical content in a classroom where the iPad was a central tool for teaching practices. The analyses were based on Steinbring's [(2005). The construction of new mathematical knowledge in classroom interaction: An epistemological perspective (Vol. 38). Springer] framework, which we applied to understand how students construct meaning for mathematical concepts. The analysis showed that the students constructed mathematical knowledge by forming associations between contexts represented by the activities and by mathematical symbols and signs. The findings suggest the possibility that touchscreen technology reinforces the link between mathematical content, mathematical representations, and tangible experiences.

The affordances of iPads for pupils, teachers and teacher educators in the documentation of visible learning and teaching

“…The use of real-life contexts, as in realistic mathematics education (Freudenthal 1973), is key in motivating students and teachers to harness technology as a tool in mathematics problem-solving on problems that are of immediate and captivating interest to them. This arrangement helps students to construct their own mathematical knowledge (Manshadi 2021) in a social space. In using technology in mathematics teaching and learning, we consider the work of Calvert (1999) on mathematical practises in that computers are harnessed in as part of generating, investigating, proving and disproving mathematical conjectures.…”

“…Technology enables rapid online surveys and polls to ascertain students' attitudes, perceptions, knowledge and skills. Manshadi (2021) reports that apps as 'helping' affordances would help students maintain their focus on mathematical content and their learning process, while 'hindering' affordances would distract children from their mathematical focus.…”

The missing links in South Africa’s quest for pedagogical integration of ICTs in schools: Implications for e-education and initial teacher education

“…The use of real-life contexts, as in realistic mathematics education (Freudenthal 1973), is key in motivating students and teachers to harness technology as a tool in mathematics problem-solving on problems that are of immediate and captivating interest to them. This arrangement helps students to construct their own mathematical knowledge (Manshadi 2021) in a social space. In using technology in mathematics teaching and learning, we consider the work of Calvert (1999) on mathematical practises in that computers are harnessed in as part of generating, investigating, proving and disproving mathematical conjectures.…”

“…Technology enables rapid online surveys and polls to ascertain students' attitudes, perceptions, knowledge and skills. Manshadi (2021) reports that apps as 'helping' affordances would help students maintain their focus on mathematical content and their learning process, while 'hindering' affordances would distract children from their mathematical focus.…”

Microsoft Excel: A promising tool for teaching basic descriptive statistics in initial teacher-training institutions

“…The use of real-life contexts, as in realistic mathematics education (Freudenthal 1973), is key in motivating students and teachers to harness technology as a tool in mathematics problem-solving on problems that are of immediate and captivating interest to them. This arrangement helps students to construct their own mathematical knowledge (Manshadi 2021) in a social space. In using technology in mathematics teaching and learning, we consider the work of Calvert (1999) on mathematical practises in that computers are harnessed in as part of generating, investigating, proving and disproving mathematical conjectures.…”