Abstract
The integration of virtual manipulatives in classroom practices facilitates student learning processes. For this, the teacher must understand how to support students in establishing mathematical connections between the manipulation and their interpretations of the representations. We present a learning scenario that integrates the use of virtual manipulatives in mathematical modelling tasks. It was designed and implemented during initial teacher training, with the aim of helping a group of first-year elementary school students to overcome difficulties identified in their comprehension of the meaning of subtraction. The research, following the principles of design-based research, included three distinct moments: an individual written pre-test, an intervention phase with six micro-cycles, and an individual written post-test. The analysis of the collected data—audio, screen recordings, and written productions—allowed us to identify the most influential structural characteristics of the learning scenario: mathematical communication, collaborative learning, self-regulation, and co-regulation of learning. Our results suggest that differentiated instruction, minimal guidance, and scaffolding played an important role in the support provided by the pre-service teacher to students in the mathematical modelling activities that integrated virtual manipulatives.
Highlights
Published: 23 November 2021The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal caused an exponential increase in the use of technology in teaching and learning processes, even among teachers who have always been reluctant [1]
This study identified the characteristics of the learning scenario with the greatest influence on its structure: mathematical communication, collaborative learning, self-regulation, and co-regulation of learning
The action planned for the pre-service teachers (PST), the conditions conducive to students’ autonomy, and the way technology was integrated into the design and implementation of the learning scenario contributed to the improvement of students’ comprehension of the meanings of subtraction
Summary
Published: 23 November 2021The constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Portugal caused an exponential increase in the use of technology in teaching and learning processes, even among teachers who have always been reluctant [1]. It is important to discuss how technology can be used to benefit learning [4]. Does it change the way of teaching but it affects what can be taught, while providing opportunities for students to interact with mathematical ideas [5]. The role of the teacher in integrating technology is central and crucial. This requires teachers to possess a set of skills that allow them to choose, adapt, or create pedagogical resources suitable to the learning objectives [6]. For the integration of technology in teaching processes to be properly achieved, it should stem from the context and serve the learning objectives [7]
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