Secondary School Mathematics Students Exploring the Connectedness of Mathematics: The Case of the Parabola and its Tangent in a Dynamic Geometry Environment

Abstract

Drawing on the Semiotic-cultural approach and the Anthropological theory of the didactic, this paper discusses how exploration of historically framed conceptualizations of mathematical objects can establish bridges between different mathematical areas such as calculus and Euclidean geometry. A classroom intervention study in two secondary mathematics classrooms involving dynamic geometry software tools to support the construction of a parabola and its tangent and aiming at the development of representational flexibility between algebraic/ functional and geometrical approaches, illustrates how students may benefit from participation in such explorations.