AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE BALANCE OF PRESCRIPTION, EXPERIMENT AND PLAY WHEN LEARNING ABOUT THE PROPERTIES OF QUADRATIC FUNCTIONS WITH ICT

Abstract

This paper will draw on research being developed within the Teaching and Learning strand of the ESRC InterActive Education: Learning in the Information Age project which is examining the ways in which new technologies can be used in educational settings to enhance learning. It will focus on the learning and understanding of quadratic functions using a graphical software package and includes a discussion of how the structuring of the activities influences the nature of the learning environment. The potential affordance that the software provides for experiment and play is highlighted in relation to the teacher's role in shaping the tasks to effectively make good use of this mode of learning.