Lesson Design and Evaluation of Programming in Mathematics Education: A Study of Experiences and Opinions about Using Programming for Teaching Integral Concepts in a High School Setting

Abstract

Programming has been known to be an effective tool for mathematical problem solving since the advent of computers and programming. Dramatic developments in digital technology and computers as well as the fourth industrial revolution has led to a demand for employees with increased digital competence across varying fields, which has prompted educational institutions to adapt. Consequently, many countries in the EU were motivated to start using programming in mathematics teaching and therefore there is a need to know how programming can become an efficient part of mathematics education. This study investigates how programming can be integrated in mathematics to teach concepts of integrals. It was implemented by creating, conducting and evaluating two lessons where programming was used as a means for teaching students about two aspects of integrals, namely the fundamental theorem of calculus, and solids of revolution. Data was gathered through a survey among participating students and interviews with both students and teachers in conjunction with the eleven lessons that were held. It was found that in this context, programming can be valuable by deepening understanding and facilitating work while challenges arise in the form of increased cognitive load, unclear purpose and varying knowledge. Previous experience of programming correlated with finding the code easy to use and the programming enjoying, as well as a small positive correlation with learning something that would have been harder without programming.