Anna Baccaglini-Frank (University of Pisa)
The talk focuses on mathematical discourse (from a commognitive perspective) in the context of dynamic geometry and algebra software, environments in which one can construct virtual objects which realize mathematical objects (for an expert) and interact with them. These constructed objects become Dynamic Interactive Mediators (DIMs) of students’ discourse. A main goal of my recent research in this area is to characterize the emerging discourse mediated by DIMs of students with a history of low achievement in mathematics. Preliminary results have suggested that DIMs can have an enabling role for the participation in mathematical discourse of low achieving or demotivated students. The talk will focus on the analysis of excerpts containing discourse about functions in contexts where DIMs were used explicitly in sequences of classroom activities for students between the ages of 14 and 16.
