Adult Students' Open Interactions with Technology: Mediating Higher-Level Thinking

Abstract

Examining the actions taken during a teaching experiment can provide insight into practices applicable to the use of mathematics technology to assist adult learners. A case study in the form of a teaching experiment was conducted with a small number of subjects to allow for detailed examination of the influence of technology on student thinking. This report examines the type of questions offered by the interviewer during the experimentâs sessions and the associated choices made by the studyâs subjects. Indications are that with higher-level prompts in the form of both requests for observation and requests for justification, the tool in use can become a means by which new understanding is internalized.