Full Description
Rational thinking as exemplified in mathematical cognition is immensely important in the modern world. This book documents how a group of three eighth-grade girls developed specific group practices typical of such thinking in an online educational experience. A longitudinal case study tracks the team through eight hour-long sessions, following the students' meaning-making processes through their mutual chat responses preserved in computer logs coordinated with their geometric actions. The examination of data focuses on key areas of the team's development: its effective team collaboration, its productive mathematical discourse, its enacted use of dynamic-geometry tools, and its ability to identify and construct dynamic-geometry dependencies. This detailed study of group cognition serves as a paradigmatic example of computer-supported collaborative learning, incorporating a unique model of human-computer interaction analysis applied to the use of innovative educational technology. A valuable resource for researchers, instructors, and students alike, it offers concrete suggestions for improving educational practice.
Contents
Introduction to the analysis; Researching mathematical cognition; Analyzing development of group cognition; Session 1: the team develops collaboration practices; Session 2: the team develops dragging practices; Session 3: the team develops construction practices; Session 4: the team develops tool-usage practices; Session 5: the team identifies dependencies; Session 6: the team constructs dependencies; Session 7: the team uses transformation tools; Session 8: the team develops mathematical discourse and action practices; Contributions to a theory of mathematical group cognition; Constructing dynamic triangles together.
