The mathematics education community is constantly engaged in finding out how children best learn mathematics. The current National Curriculum Framework (NCF-2005) in India, developed by NCERT describes two goals, a “narrow aim” and a “higher aim” of mathematics education. The higher aim is about developing the children’s inner resources to think and reason mathematically, so that they become capable of making logical conclusions and handling abstractions. While following the „narrow aims” means equipping children with very good algorithmic skills by just having them remember the formulas.  At NCERT our  ambition is to chieve this „higher aim” rather than only the „narrow aim”.

As NCF recommends, the teacher’s role is to create opportunities for children to build their own understanding of concepts. However, if only we could discover precisely how children best learn mathematics then we could work out exactly how to teach them the subject in the most effective way.

It is easy to realize that GeoGebra promotes experimental learning and  can be used to represent mathematical content in multiple ways. So, the question – is can an innovative integration of GeoGebra in Mathematics curriculum support the learning of mathematics adapted to the children’s own learning styles?

Even though GeoGebra can influence what is taught, teachers need to design the suitable instructions and environment that best support this approach. Well-applied  GeoGebra can support  requirements of learning outcomes  as it helps the children process mathematical concepts through investigation and problem solving.

GeoGebra can also be seen as a catalyst for a paradigm shift. Since educational materials and books became accessible for everyone jn an electronic form, education has experienced a gradual shift away from the idea that its success relies on the student’s capacity to memorize and accurately recall large amounts of information.

Instead, greater emphasis has been placed on developing research and problem-solving skills; on equipping students with effective inquiry skills, including the ability to find and process new information using digital technologies. Many educators now see GeoGebra, with its interconnectedness, as an environment rather than just a tool for learning and teaching. The difference between these two perspectives is significant, the former requiring a fundamental change in methodology and teaching practice for many teachers. We should draw a road map for achieving the ultimate target of the highly progressive GeoGebra enabled Mathematics curriculum.

P.K. Chaurasia will be one of our key-note speakers at the pre-ATCM GeoGebra conference in Mumbai, December 2013. Follow his work at http://pkchaurasia.iitiancollege.info.

But what specific teaching methods, strategies, or models are being used to organize GeoGebra-based instruction? Specifically how would a Dynamic Worksheet-related learning activity be organized? How might it be assessed?

The U.S. Common Core-Mathematics emphasizes the notion that high quality mathematics education develops not only content competency but also habits of mind and higher-order skills that are integral to the process of mathematics, e.g., problem solving, reasoning, communications, etc. Are there some teaching methods, strategies, or models that help teachers using GeoGebra focus on both the content and the process of mathematics better than others?

At GeoGebra Iowa, one of our goals is to spotlight the pedagogy of GeoGebra use in the classroom by building an online “methods course” for teachers interested in using GeoGebra as an effective teaching/learning tool.

We hope that educators using GeoGebra, whether at the elementary, secondary, or postsecondary level, will help us build this resource by sharing ideas, experiences, and examples that focus on strategies and methods that are not math content-specific but are transferable.

Please visit us at: https://sites.google.com/site/geogebrainstituteofiowa/the-geogebra-pedagogy-connection if you are interested in this topic or you would care to contribute.

Guest post by Jack Gittinger from the GeoGebra Institute of Iowa

The Nordic GeoGebra Network is a collaboration between teachers, teacher educators and researchers in mathematics education with the aim of sharing materials and exchanging experiences concerning the use of ICT in the teaching of mathematics with emphasis on the GeoGebra software.

The 3rd Nordic GeoGebra Conference is held this weekend in Tartu, Estonia. You can find my presentation here, please feel free to copy it and create your own Prezi.

We are delighted to see that our community is rapidly expanding all over the world! Please let us know if you are trying to set up a new GeoGebra Institute and would need our help or if you have any contacts for people who are considering establishing new GeoGebra Institutes.

Feel free to ask questions in comment here below the post or send an e-mail to institutes at geogebra org.

You can see the Prezi used for the talk here:

After the keynote, about 20 teachers attended the workshop. The following topics were discussed:

• How to use GeoGebra. The basics, constructing a triangle, bisectors, circumcircle, etc.
• How to save and share the document
• How to download and use available materials from the GeoGebraTube

Thank you GeoGebra Institute of Dublin for organizing this amazing event. And if you visit Maynooth, visit the building called “Logic”, where the maths department resides: