Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the significance of integrating programming into mathematics education. To do so, the study sought to propose and practice an instructional method for fostering computational thinking in mathematics education. Computational thinking is a thought process for formulating a solution to a problem so that it can be expressed as a computational procedure or algorithm. Mathematical thinking is closely related to computational procedures and algorithms. To confirm this, we conducted a practice of incorporating programming into a lesson on simultaneous equations for third-year junior high school students. The results suggested the following three points. (1) The usefulness of the Cramer's formula algorithm for simultaneous equations was understood. (2) By considering the bifurcation structure due to the existence of solutions to simultaneous equations, the understanding of the characterization of the existence of solutions by the determinant was deepened. (3) The students realized the usefulness of programming by utilizing programming to solve problems of simultaneous equations in the real world where the coefficients are complex, such as finding the ratio of copper and zinc alloys in brass. A post-class survey suggested that incorporating programming into mathematics education deepens students' understanding of mathematics.

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References

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