An interactive visualization method of constructionist teaching and learning of geometry

Abstract

Today's youth has grew up with digital technology and has lived immersed in environments populated by computers, videogames, digital music players, video cameras, cell phones, and thousands of other toys and tools of the digital age. It is probably for this reason that the authors are persuaded that education in XXI century should be directed to use digital resources as well as digital ways of teaching in all subjects. Mathematics among the other disciplines needs digitization and the paper deals with the development of dynamic sketches for geometry teaching and learning. Dynamic geometry education is important for pupils to develop visualization and spatial thinking. The attention is paid to the constructionist learning model for learning geometry developed by Baytak (2011) [1]. The model is extended and adapted for teaching geometry with dynamic geometry software at a lower and upper secondary school level. In order to help the teachers to use the dynamic geometry and other information technologies is developed an interactive geometry visualization method. The method is based on abstract data type theory. Four abstract data types have been developed and defined using algebraic specifications. The development of a dynamic sketch's scenario with the implementation of these abstract data types is presented in details. An example of creating an interactive microworld, using the abstract data types, is presented and discussed as well.