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Learning through teaching: The case of symmetry

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Abstract

A study was carried out within the framework of an undergraduate course in teaching skills and strategies. An experimental part of the course was designed to provide an opportunity for the students to learn a mathematical topic through teaching it to eighth grade pupils in aLearning Through Teaching (LTT) environment. Symmetry was chosen as the focal mathematical topic for the experiment. This paper focuses on the development of the students’ understanding of line symmetry. The findings show that the implemented LTT environment served as a vehicle for the student teachers to learn mathematics, hi spite of the difficulties they encountered during the study, the students expressed positive dispositions towards symmetry and its role in mathematics.

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The study was conducted while the first author was at the Department of Education in Technology and Science, Technion—israel Institute of Technology.

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Leikin, R., Berman, A. & Zaslavsky, O. Learning through teaching: The case of symmetry. Math Ed Res J 12, 18–36 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03217072

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