Necessary knowledge for managing mathematical work in simulators development with GEoGeBRA

Abstract

Club GeoGebra (CG) project expansion in Venezuela high schools demands to design each year training opportunities for new teachers (CG promoter). An essential component of the design is the knowledge related with modelling processes that happen when the CG students develop simulators. To unveil this component, we conducted a study in which we identify and describe the knowledge for the management of mathematical work recognized by a group of CG promoters. These teachers discussed the practices of solving construction tasks with GeoGebra of a colleague and his students, while their discussions were recorded on video. Using an interpretative analysis technique, we identified three types of knowledge needed to manage the mathematical work: knowledge of how to analyze a construction inconsistency, knowledge of how to communicate a construction technique and knowledge of how to anticipate the technique before it is used. Our results suggest that the knowledges are rooted in the practical experience of the CG promoters. However, the recognition of such knowledge not only has its subjective side, but also a cultural side that we discussed at the end of the article.