There is an overemphasis on procedures and manipulation of symbols in calculus and not enough emphasis on conceptual understanding of the subject. Specifically, students struggle to understand and correctly apply concepts in calculus such as the chain rule, implicit differentiation, and related rates. Students can learn mathematics more deeply when they make connections between different mathematical ideas. I have hypothesized that students can make powerful connections between the chain rule, implicit differentiation, and related rates through the mathematical concept of nested multivariation. Based on this hypothesis, I created a hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) rooted in nested multivariation for students to develop an understanding of these three concepts. In this study, I explore my HLT through a small-scale teaching experiment with individual first-semester calculus students using tasks based on the HLT.Based on the teaching experiment, nested multivariational reasoning proved to be critical in understanding how the variables within a function composition change together and in developing intuition and understanding for the multiplicative nature of the chain rule. Later, nested multivariational reasoning was mostly important in recognizing the existence of a nested relationship and the need to use the chain rule in differentiation. Overall, through the HLT, students gained a connected and conceptual understanding for the chain rule, implicit differentiation, and related rates. I also discuss how the HLT might be adjusted and improved for future use.

Orientador: Marcelo de Carvalho Borba / Banca: Márcia Maria Fusaro Pinto / Banca: Maria Helena Sebastiana Sahão Bizelli / Banca: Edna Maura Zuffi / Banca: Henrique Lazari / Resumo: Baseando-me na noção de coletivo pensante seres-humanos-com-mídias, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi responder à pergunta diretriz Como o coletivo, formado por alunos-comtecnologias, produz o conhecimento acerca de função composta e regra da cadeia, a partir de uma abordagem gráfica? O processo de visualização implícito nessa pergunta é potencializado pelas Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TIC), que transformam o modo como o conhecimento é produzido, reorganizando a forma de interagir e pensar. Os dados foram coletados com alguns alunos ingressantes no Curso de Matemática da UNESP - Rio Claro durante os "Experimentos de Ensino". Foram elaborados cinco episódios que apresentaram subsídios para responder à pergunta diretriz desta pesquisa. Tais episódios indicam que a produção do conhecimento dos alunos envolvidos, acerca de função composta e regra da cadeia, ocorreu por meio de elaborações de conjecturas, formuladas durante o processo de visualização potencializado pelas TIC. Tais conjecturas foram confirmadas ou refutadas levando-se em conta o entrelaçamento das representações múltiplas, que permearam todas as atividades, e um coletivo pensante seres-humanos-com-mídias, no qual o ser humano transforma e é transformado pelas mídias em um processo interativo. A partir desses resultados, outras indagações surgiram sobre o papel do professor-pesquisador e sua prática na sala de aula. / Abstract: Based on the notion of thinking collectives of humans-with-media, the objective of this research was to respond to the research question How does a collective composed of studentswith- technologies produce knowledge about the Composition of Functions and the Chain Rule using a graphic approach? The visualization process implicit in this question is potentiated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which transform the way knowledge is produced, reorganizing interaction and thinking. Data was collected with some university students enrolled within the undergraduate Mathematics Program at UNESP - Rio Claro during "Teaching Experiments". Five episodes were selected that were particularly informative with respect to the research question. The episodes indicate that students' knowledge production regarding composition of functions and the chain rule occurred through the elaborations of conjectures formulated during the process of visualization potentiated by the ICT. These conjectures were confirmed or rejected based on the interweaving of multiple representations that permeated all the activities, and a humans-with-media thinking collective, in which the human transforms and is transformed by the media in an interactive process. Based on these findings, new questions emerged regarding the role of the researcher-professor and teaching practice in the classroom. / Doutor

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-17Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:21:03Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 barbosa_sm_dr_rcla.pdf: 1736492 bytes, checksum: 916a8396ad40af059b64229204ec6e8b (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Baseando-me na noção de coletivo pensante seres-humanos-com-mídias, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi responder à pergunta diretriz Como o coletivo, formado por alunos-comtecnologias, produz o conhecimento acerca de função composta e regra da cadeia, a partir de uma abordagem gráfica? O processo de visualização implícito nessa pergunta é potencializado pelas Tecnologias da Informação e Comunicação (TIC), que transformam o modo como o conhecimento é produzido, reorganizando a forma de interagir e pensar. Os dados foram coletados com alguns alunos ingressantes no Curso de Matemática da UNESP - Rio Claro durante os “Experimentos de Ensino”. Foram elaborados cinco episódios que apresentaram subsídios para responder à pergunta diretriz desta pesquisa. Tais episódios indicam que a produção do conhecimento dos alunos envolvidos, acerca de função composta e regra da cadeia, ocorreu por meio de elaborações de conjecturas, formuladas durante o processo de visualização potencializado pelas TIC. Tais conjecturas foram confirmadas ou refutadas levando-se em conta o entrelaçamento das representações múltiplas, que permearam todas as atividades, e um coletivo pensante seres-humanos-com-mídias, no qual o ser humano transforma e é transformado pelas mídias em um processo interativo. A partir desses resultados, outras indagações surgiram sobre o papel do professor-pesquisador e sua prática na sala de aula. / Based on the notion of thinking collectives of humans-with-media, the objective of this research was to respond to the research question How does a collective composed of studentswith- technologies produce knowledge about the Composition of Functions and the Chain Rule using a graphic approach? The visualization process implicit in this question is potentiated by Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), which transform the way knowledge is produced, reorganizing interaction and thinking. Data was collected with some university students enrolled within the undergraduate Mathematics Program at UNESP – Rio Claro during “Teaching Experiments”. Five episodes were selected that were particularly informative with respect to the research question. The episodes indicate that students’ knowledge production regarding composition of functions and the chain rule occurred through the elaborations of conjectures formulated during the process of visualization potentiated by the ICT. These conjectures were confirmed or rejected based on the interweaving of multiple representations that permeated all the activities, and a humans-with-media thinking collective, in which the human transforms and is transformed by the media in an interactive process. Based on these findings, new questions emerged regarding the role of the researcher-professor and teaching practice in the classroom.