Transposing Computer Tools from the Mathematical Sciences into Teaching

Abstract

Thanks to the work of mathematicians, software designers and mathematics educators, computer algebra is now available on calculators that students can afford for classroom use. These new artifacts certainly open up stimulating prospects, but we should not look on them just as a miraculous solution to difficulties of teaching. We ought to initiate an in-depth reflection on their educational use in relation to the wider evolution of mathematics. In this chapter, we will discuss how the new tools offered to students fit into the evolution of mathematics itself, and of mathematics teaching and learning. We will also consider difficulties in adapting teaching which often make integrating these new tools something of an adventure.