Teaching and learning about functions at upper secondary level: designing and experimenting the software environment Casyopée

Abstract

Casyopée is an evolving project focusing on the development of both software and classroom situations to teach algebra and analysis at upper secondary level. In this article, we sketch the rationales for the Casyopée project in relationship with the focus on functions in upper secondary curricula. To evaluate Casyopée's contribution, we present and analyse an experimental teaching unit carried out in the ReMath European project focusing on the approach to functions via multiple representations for the 11th grade.

Keywords:

• algebra
• functions
• software environment
• Casyopée
• registers of representations
• change of settings
• instrumentation
• theory of didactical situations
• Computer Algebra Systems
• modelling
• dynamic geometry

Notes

Notes

1. The notion of register is consistent with Duval (1993)'s explained in Section 4.

2. Extracts of the French curriculum are the author's translation. The curriculum can be found at http://www.cndp.fr/secondaire/mathematiques/

3. This notion is developed below in Section 4.

4. Specific Targeted Research Project IST4-26751: http://rematht.cti.gr

5. A page for downloading Casyopée is available at http://casyopee.eu

6. The existence of two windows, one symbolic and the other geometrical, is a difference with software like Geogebra that provides some algebra inside a DG window. The export capability and other features linking the two windows distinguish Casyopée from other softwares that also have two such windows. As a difference with CAS, the symbolic facilities are available through menus and buttons and not through a command language.