Abstract
Computing education and computational thinking have gained increasing attention in education both as means to support the learning of other subjects, such as mathematics, science, and humanities, and as outcomes by themselves. This chapter proposes a focus on teacher knowledge of geometry for computer graphics used for virtual image manipulation and coding in the context of an online graduate course for teachers. Teachers were required to design tasks for their classrooms that incorporated the content of the course and to participate in an online discussion forum. These tasks, along with the discussion entries, are analyzed, and suggestions are provided for how to incorporate relevant geometrical content used in computer graphics. Teacher challenges to learn and incorporate this content in the classroom are addressed, along with recommendations for teacher education. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of teachers' knowledge for teaching geometry for computer graphics.
TopBackground
Geometry for computer graphics can be loosely defined as the relationships between geometry and programing, in particular with respect to the manipulation of virtual images. This also includes programing for robotics, with involves spatial elements. Knowledge for teaching geometry for computer graphics deserves particular attention, as offered in the next subsection.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Embodiment: A perspective on learning that considers the role of the body from different perspectives, including biology, culture, and language.
Open Coding: A method for qualitative data analysis consisting of segmentation of pieces of data and the assignment of labels or codes to each one. This is usually done as a first step in data analysis and can be informed by a previous framework; it can also emerge during the analysis ( Charmaz, 2006 ).
Recursion: A mathematical tool that allows algorithms to be defined iteratively. This tool is commonly used for programing.
Computational Thinking: An analytic approach to problem solving, designing systems, and understanding human behaviours, including practices such as abstraction, decomposition, prediction, problem representation, simulation and verification.
Axial Coding: A process of qualitative data analysis in which previously identified categories and themes are connected together theoretically into broader categories.
Case Study: An umbrella of approaches to research that have in common their focus on a phenomenon bounded by a specific unit of analysis and defined by contextual elements, such as space, time, and demography.
Triangulation: A form of validation for qualitative research consisting of contrasting multiple forms of data against each other to support the validity of the findings.
Geometry for Computer Graphics: Refers to the relationships between geometry and programing, in particular with the manipulation of virtual images. This includes programing for robotics as spatial elements have to be considered.