Timo Tossavainen
25 September 2024
New study shows that programming strengthens math education
High school students who use programming to solve mathematical problems show increased ability to collaborate and develop their mathematical thinking, according to new research from Luleå University of Technology and Luleå Upper Secondary School.
Researchers have investigated how students who excel in mathematics use programming to make their mathematical thinking visible and how code contributed to their collaboration.
“We have seen that programming can act as a bridge between students' mathematical thinking and their collaborative processes. It creates new opportunities to communicate and understand mathematical concepts,” says Timo Tossavainen, Professor of Mathematics and Science Education.
The researchers followed three groups of high school students working on solving tasks related to integrals. By using programming, the students were able to see how their solutions were affected by small changes in the code, which helped them develop deeper insights into the mathematical concepts.
“Programming makes math more visual and concrete for students. They can see how different functions affect their results and discuss these observations with their classmates,” says Timo Tossavainen.
Students tend to accept a solution as correct if they can verify it via the programming code, which leads to new ways of thinking and reasoning about mathematics.
“We hope that the results can inspire more extensive use of programming in mathematics education, not only to improve technical skills, but also to promote students' mathematical understanding,” says Timo Tossavainen.
This study is an important step in understanding how modern technology can support mathematics learning and help improve the education of future engineers and scientists.
Contact
Timo Tossavainen
- Professor and Head of Subject
- 0920-493698
- timo.tossavainen@ltu.se
- Timo Tossavainen
Published:
Updated: