Assuming that dynamic features of Dynamic Geometry Software may provide a basic representation of both variation and functional dependency, and taking the Vygotskian perspective of semiotic mediation, a teaching experiment was designed with the aim of introducing students to the idea of function. This paper focuses on the use of the Trace tool and…

This paper presents learning tasks of a new type that are made possible by dynamic geometry software and discusses reasons why it takes time for teachers to design and use such tasks. The paper is divided into four sections: (1) The Spatial and the Theoretical; (2) Tasks in Dynamic Geometry Software Fostering the Learning of Geometry; (3) The…

Discusses the gap in France between institutional support for the use of technology in mathematics teaching and its weak integration into teacher practice. Identifies and analyzes steps in integration and indicates that the role played by technology in moving from being a visual to an essential constituent of the meaning of tasks affects student…

Attempts to develop a global discussion about the roles of dynamic geometry systems (DGS) by addressing four points: (1) the variety of possible contexts for proof in a DGS; (2) the dual nature of proof (cognitive and social) as reflected in the "milieu" constructed around the use of a DGS; (3) from observing to proving; and (4) overcoming the…

Assuming that dynamic features of Dynamic Geometry Software may provide a basic representation of both variation and functional dependency, and taking Vygotskian perspective of semiotic mediation, a teaching experiment has been designed with the aim of introducing pupils to the idea of function. First data coming from the observations in Italian…

This paper points up, in the case of a particular class discussion, the crucial role that the Trace tool could play as potential semiotic mediator for the notion of function. In particular, the episode we are presenting here want to show how the idea of trajectory developed through a specific sequence of activities, carried out in Cabri and…

Describes some topics of French research: relationships between teaching and learning, choices and constraints of the didactic system, role of the computer, and forms of the functioning knowledge. (YP)