The scaffolding method is any pedagogically justified sequence of using and not using technology for trivialization, experimentation, visualization, or concentration either in the sense of automation or compensation. (Bernhard Kutzler)

In mixed ability teaching CAS is a pedagogical tool whereby we can keep all students at the same level of conceptual learning while allowing technology to temporarily take over areas of algorithmic difficulty. For example, students readily recognize the meaning of horizontal turning points, i.e., points along a curve where the gradient function is equal to zero. They may have difficulty remembering chain, product, or quotient rules and the rules involved in simplification of algebraic expressions. While individual students can spend more time working on individual difficulties involving these procedures either in class or for homework, the entire class can proceed to interesting problems using Calculus while allowing the technology to perform the tedious processes involved in finding derivatives, performing 2^nd derivative tests, and simplifying the expressions they obtain. Very often they cannot satisfactorily answer or interpret their solutions in light of the problem because of numeracy or “algebracy” errors.

The same is true for more elementary topics, such as solving a system of equations in 2 unknowns. The students readily understand the need to eliminate a variable or solve for one variable in terms of the other in order to perform a substitution, but often have difficulties with numeracy or procedures, e.g., they forget to multiply both sides of the equations by the chosen number when using elimination. In such cases it is pedagogically valid to allow the student to use CAS as a scaffold over such difficulties in order to proceed with the underlying algebraic structures of this topic, or its applications.







							COMPUTER ALGEBRA SYSTEMS - TECHNOLOGY IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION