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Microworlds: Influencing Children's Approaches to Linear Equations

Microworlds: Influencing Children's Approaches to Linear Equations

Stuart Cork
Copyright: © 2015 |Pages: 25
ISBN13: 9781466687141|ISBN10: 1466687142|EISBN13: 9781466687158
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8714-1.ch012
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MLA

Cork, Stuart. "Microworlds: Influencing Children's Approaches to Linear Equations." Integrating Touch-Enabled and Mobile Devices into Contemporary Mathematics Education, edited by Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris, et al., IGI Global, 2015, pp. 259-283. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8714-1.ch012

APA

Cork, S. (2015). Microworlds: Influencing Children's Approaches to Linear Equations. In M. Meletiou-Mavrotheris, K. Mavrou, & E. Paparistodemou (Eds.), Integrating Touch-Enabled and Mobile Devices into Contemporary Mathematics Education (pp. 259-283). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8714-1.ch012

Chicago

Cork, Stuart. "Microworlds: Influencing Children's Approaches to Linear Equations." In Integrating Touch-Enabled and Mobile Devices into Contemporary Mathematics Education, edited by Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris, Katerina Mavrou, and Efi Paparistodemou, 259-283. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2015. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-8714-1.ch012

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Abstract

This chapter combines the well-researched area of mathematics education, linear equations, with the field of mathematical microworlds. Insights into the current knowledge of both areas are presented before focusing the discussion on a new study in which pre-secondary school learners, with no prior formal teaching on the topic, explore linear equations through an algebra-based microworld called DragonBox. DragonBox is a touch-enabled mobile application available on all major platforms and to which the author has no affiliation. Touch-enabled mobile devices have great potential as vessels for mathematical microworlds and this chapter draws conclusions regarding the influence such microworlds have on a learner's understanding. Although learners in this study demonstrated procedural fluency when working with DragonBox, it was only through encouraged reflection that a relational understanding seemed to take effect and without it the children developed inconsistent notions about the structure of the microworld.

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