Using African Designs in Virtual Manipulatives for Geometrical Concept Development
Philip Collett and Catherina Steyn

Proceedings of Bridges 2017: Mathematics, Art, Music, Architecture, Education, Culture
Pages 455–458
Short Papers

Abstract

Promoting interest and engagement in Mathematics among learners in early High School grades is challenging in the South African educational scenario which is typified by traditional pedagogies, desolate classrooms, a lack of interesting resources and something of a rote learning culture. To enhance the attractiveness and the cultural congruence of learning materials for early High School grades we have used GeoGebra to design a set of virtual manipulatives, which incorporate Southern African indigenous art designs, for promoting concept formation in the area of Geometry. We explain the underlying pedagogy of the development and show examples of manipulatives in the design stage. Plans for incorporating the material into programs and researching the learning outcomes are also presented.

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