1: London Knowledge Lab (LKL) — Institute of Education - London
Appears in:
The International Journal for Technology in Mathematics Education 13:2 (2006) 65-78
Abstract:
This paper reports on a design experiment in the
domain of number sequences conducted in the course of
the WebLabs project. We iteratively designed and tested a
set of activities and tools in which 10-14 year old students
used the ToonTalk programming environment to construct
models of sequences and series, and then shared their
models and their observations about them utilising a webbased
collaboration system. We report on the evolution of
a design pattern (programming method) called ‘Streams’
which enables students to engage in the process of
summing and ‘hold the series in their hand’, and
consequently make sophisticated arguments regarding the
mathematical structures of the sequences without
requiring the use of algebra. While the focus of this paper
is mainly on the design of activities, and in particular their
epistemological foundations, some illustrative examples of
one group of students’ work indicate the potential of the
activities and tools for expressing and reflecting on deep
mathematical ideas.
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