Matematica e difficoltà: analisi di un percorso di recupero con l’uso di ambienti digitali nella scuola secondaria di II grado

Inglese

The number of students who have Mathematical Learning Difficulties (MLD) is constantly increasing. Several studies in the fields of both cognitive psychology and mathematics education have addressed the issue of describing these difficulties, highlighting that there are many reasons for “not being good” at mathematics because of aspects that concern cognitive and meta-cognitive aspects. Among the difficulties that can be observed, as concern algebraic, there are calculation difficulties, difficulties in symbol recognition, and difficulties with number sense. The potential of using artifacts in mathematics teaching and learning – also in the case of MLD – has been widely studied. In this vein, the theory of semiotic mediation (TSM) offers a framework to design educational activities, building on the potential of digital and physical artifacts. In this study, we intend to explore how, in a remedial intervention on algebraic notions (e.g., equalities, variables, unknown), the use of digital artifacts and the continuous support provided by a tutor can promote the modification of students' strategies. In particular, we conduct a case study on Ilenia, a 15-year-old student with persistent difficulties in mathematics, to analyze whether the combination of tutor’s interventions and immediate feedback provided by artifacts supports Ilenia's learning progression. The analyses of data collected during the tutoring sessions will show changes in the use of a strategy, which from a blind procedure becomes a strategy guided by a careful consideration of the feedback provided by the tutor and the digital artifact. Tutor’s interventions were also analyzed and classified to highlight which ones seemed to support the evolution of students' strategies. In particular, the analysis highlighted that the most fruitful interaction took place when the attention of the tutor and the student were aligned (i.e., both focused on the strategy or both focused on the calculation). Moreover, as a side effect, the study started shedding light on the specificity of the use of TSM in the case of remedial intervention. In our case, the classroom mathematical discussion is absent, as the activity was individual, but this allowed the tutor (who acts as a teacher) to carry out actions that cannot be applied in a classroom setting. Finally, theoretical and educational implications are discussed.