The Study
This study examined ways that some teachers have used the Geometric Supposers microcomputer software as a tool for students to test conjectures in high school geometry. Led by Daniel Chazan, associate professor of teacher education at Michigan State University, the data was analyzed for attributes of the software and how it supports change in the traditional course.

The Findings
In the hands of dedicated and talented teachers, microcomputer software programs like the Geometric Supposers can help realize the central goals outlined in the National Council of Teachers of Math Courses K-12 Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for School Mathematics. On the basis of feedback received from the software, students—generally working in pairs—develop skills that enable them to experience mathematics as problem solving, communication and reasoning; moreover, they gain an appreciation for mathematical connections and structures and avoid perceiving the course as fragmented, separate, unconnected areas of study. Students who use the software become better inquirers and competent explorers of open-ended problems; and they learn how to work together in breaking down a large task into smaller tasks, criticize or evaluate other students’ conjectures, and develop arguments to support their own conjectures.

What It Means to You
If you are interested in rethinking the way geometry classes are structured in your school, you may want to consider incorporating a software tool such as the Geometric Supposers in the course. Microcomputer-aided exploration can facilitate new goals for students and lead to new standards for their performance. Teachers using this kind of tool can help students develop important inquiring skills such as: verifying, conjecturing, generalizing, communicating, proving and making connections. Students’ exploration becomes an important part of the course, and classes no longer meet only for the teacher’s presentations or for review of homework problems.

As teachers increase their experience with tool software, they will discover an increasing variety of uses for this technology.

For More Information
Consult Chazan, D. (1990). “Students’ Microcomputer-Aided Exploration in Geometry,’ Mathematics Teacher, November, pp. 628-635.

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