Constructivist Learning and the Law of Sines in Advanced 10th Grade Geometry Textbooks in Vietnam

Abstract

The law of Sines is the law that appears much in mathematics in particular and in science in general. The law of Sines allows us to calculate the length of the remaining sides and angles when we know three of the six elements of the side or angle of a triangle. This law, along with the law of Cosines, are the first two laws, the most important when one wants to build a trigonometric system. In Vietnam, they teach the law of Sines in Geometry 10 program, including the Basic and Advanced sections. Constructivist learning is one of the theories of the teaching process based on Piaget's psychology generating awareness and Vygotsky's operation theory. There are many different views on constructivist learning. All of these points of view agree that this is a positive teaching method, promoting the internal strengths of learners. In other words, this is a learner-centered teaching method. Although the law of the Sines function is important, there are not many documents that mention how to teach the law of Sines effectively. The paper examines the combination of the constructivist learning method and the law of Sines as well as the relationship between mathematics and other fields expressed through this law.