Mathematics Tasks that Promote Conceptual Understanding
Mathematical tasks or exercises are common in many mathematics classes. Our classrooms are loaded with exercises and drills. Students are usually given a lot of exercises thinking that students will learn when they repeatedly do the same exercise. However, teachers need to look at mathematical exercises in terms of what is available for the learner to notice (Marton, Runesson & Tsui, 2003). This is done by asking progressively and systematically “what changes and what stays the same” (Watson & Mason, 2006). According to Simon and Tzur (2004) a well-designed sequence of tasks invites learners to reflect on the effect of their actions so that they recognize key relationships. It also pointed out that mathematics is learned by becoming familiar with tasks that manifest mathematical ideas and by constructing generalizations from tasks. However, Watson and Mason (2006) caution that learning does not necessarily take place solely through learners observin...
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