Abstract:

Mathematical symbols were developed on a sheet of paper – as a static image of a dynamic way of thinking. Dynamic representation can break through the symbol barrier – what is the main reason students’ difficulties in mathematics. Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) based textbooks can provide this dynamic representation and the study of the genuine mathematical symbolic representation can be shift until after students understand the basic idea of symbols. To be able to teach mathematics in this way, teachers first have to master CAS based textbooks. This study investigated how a group of 20 future mathematics teacher at secondary schools (students of the Faculty of Education, Palacky Univerity in Olomouc, the Czech Republic at the present time) adapted special lessons provided problems solved by suitable Geogebra means – there was a special textbook for this research developed. A description of the learning of some geometric problems by means of Geogebra that took place during this research provide information about what and how future teachers learn to teach mathematics with reasoning and sense making.

Keywords:

Computer Algebra Systems, secondary school math textbook, Geogebra.