ISODA Masami
msisoda@human.tsukuba.ac.jp
Institute of Education
University of Tsukuba
makio@human.tsukuba.ac.jp
Graduate School of Education
University of Tsukuba
Japan
This study
discussed the roles of old technology and new technology in the teaching of
mathematical modeling. In this paper, a crank mechanism made of LEGO was used
for teaching mathematical modeling. This paper, as the third phase of the
research (Isoda, Matuzaki, Nakajima, 1998), discussed the changing roles of
LEGO and a Graphic Calculator if we added the activity of making linkage
(Matuzaki, 1999).From the case study, this paper distinguished the four
cognitive phases through mathematical modeling: reasoning with the visual image
in real world, reasoning with the mechanical structure, reasoning with the
mathematical model without the mechanical structure and reasoning with the
mathematical model and the mechanical structure. With comparing our results
with Rose Mary Zbiek’s research (1998) which discussed the role of new
technology in formulation of the model, this research discussed
following: the real world activity should be distinguished before and
after knowing the mechanical structure, and the mathematical activity with the
model should be distinguished before and after synchronizing the parameters of
the model and the parts of the mechanics. In this paper, graphic calculator as
a piece of new technology helped mathematical works in the process of the mathematical
modeling and LEGO as a piece of old technology helped the activity in real
world. The synchronization of the model with the mechanics was supported by
both technologies.
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