Effects of a didactic sequence on the learning of functions in calculus mediated by the GeoGebra Platform and supported by the theory of objectification

Abstract

This work corresponds to an excerpt from the doctoral thesis, in which we address the use of technological artifacts developed in the GeoGebra Platform in the study of functions in higher education. Thus, in this article, we have as a general objective to analyze an activity carried out in a class of Differential and Integral Calculus, mediated by the GeoGebra Platform and supported for its elaboration in the Theory of Objectification. We intended that, based on the artifacts of this theory, this activity would enhance the study of the polynomial function. Students are indicated, by this theory, as the main actors encouraged by the teacher of the discipline, treating the content in a participatory and interactive way, aiming at both the updating and the materialization of knowledge, which Radford calls Joint Work. The methodological procedure we used in this research started from an educational action in which the students acted collectively, emphasizing interactive and collaborative actions. The tasks and activities gave prestige to problems in the real world and in the social environment of the students. As a result, we found that the students enhanced the study of functions from the interaction with the GeoGebra platform, validating the knowledge in a dynamic way, visualizing the changes in the values of the variables and perceiving the modifications of the dynamic constructions, which in the GeoGebra platform is called applications.