GeoGebra constructions are great and it’s fun ‘watching’ them especially if you know the mathematics they are demonstrating. If you don’t and most students don’t then we have a bit of a problem. Even if the applet demonstrates the mathematics to students I don’t think there’ll be much learning there. No one learns mathematics by watching. We know that ‘mathematics is not a spectator sport’. You have to play the game. In Geogebra and Mathematics I proposed that if GeoGebra is to help students in learning mathematics with meaning and understanding, then students should know how to use it. But these GeoGebra tools will be most useful only to students if they know the mathematics behind the tools and why they work and behave like that. And so we teach students the mathematics first? Where’s the fun in that?
I believe (Translation: I’ve yet to do a study if my theory works) that it is possible to learn mathematics and the tools of GeoGebra at the same time . I will be sharing in this blog GeoGebra activities where students learn to use GeoGebra as they learn mathematics. The main objective is of course to learn mathematics. The learning of GeoGebra is secondary. I will start with the most basic of mathematics and the most basic of the tools in GeoGebra: points, lines, and the coordinates system.
The lesson includes four GeoGebra activities:
Activity 1 – What are coordinates of points? Read the introduction about coordinates system here.
Activity 2 – What are the coordinates of points under reflection in x and y axes?
Activity 3 – How to describe sets of points algebraically Part 1?
Activity 4 – How to describe sets of points algebraically Part 2? (under construction)
