Abstract
The contribution of programming in the learning of school mathematics has been demonstrated in numerous project and research settings. However, it would appear that this activity has failed to permeate the system on any large and systemic scale.
I suggest here that one reason for the current situation is that the exciting developments have not themselves been a required component embedded in a major curriculum theme. Further, the position that the programming environments themselves, e.g., Logo microworlds, would become the school mathematics curriculum has clearly failed to gain the support of the educational system. However, discrete mathematics and algorithmics, a strand within discrete mathematics, provides a natural ‘home’ for programming. This in turn supports the use of a programming language in mathematical contexts for which pupil designed algorithms can be used to explore concepts and relationships.
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Johnson, D.C. Algorithmics and programming in the school mathematics curriculum: support is waning - is there still a case to be made?. Education and Information Technologies 5, 201–214 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009658802970
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009658802970