PLE for improving high school students' approach to learning (mathematics)

Abstract

Personal Learning Environments PLEs are gaining increasing interest because they provide a flexible way to better match students' needs. The main danger in using widely a PLE is the danger of the owner being unable to discriminate sound contents from groundless or wrong ones. The paper describes an experience where students were taught how to build a PLE in order to strengthen their understanding of mathematics. The paper focuses on two aspects: fostering and strengthening the creation of critical analysis skills in teenaged students when building their PLE and overcoming personal difficulties and misunderstandings about mathematics with a PLE. Gaining both skills will be extremely useful for improving students' personal and working life, in a lifelong learning perspective.