Research project

Interactive Diagrams in Mathematics Electronic Textbooks.

The domain of digital interactive mathematics textbooks is new and largely unexplored as yet.

The research project:

(a) examines the learning mathematics with interactive diagrams, in interactive mathematics textbooks;

(b) seeks to identify practices associated with the design of interactive electronic textbook and to focus on the functions of interactive diagrams.

An interactive diagram is a relatively small and simple software application (an applet) built around a pre-constructed visual example.

We are interested in studying the learners' problem solving routines when using interactive diagrams. Micro-analysis of the discourse and gestures of a group of 13-14 year old algebra students working with an interactive diagrams enable us to determine whether and how the designed components of the interactive diagrams (the example that appears in the diagram, representations, and linking tools) participate and are instrumented in the problem-solving processes.

This research was supported by THE ISRAEL SCIENCE FOUNDATION (grant No. 236/05).