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12-year olds learning mathematics with System Dynamics: a case
study from a rural locality of North-eastern Portugal
Marlende de Fatima Ochoa Fernandes Cardoso
Escola Secundaria de Mirandela
5370 Mirandela, Portugal
Tel. + 351 962 347 303
marlene_cardoso@net.sapo.pt
Teresa Paula Azevedo Perdicoulis
Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Apartado 1013, 5000-911 Vila Real, Portugal
Tel. + 351 919 268 630
tazevedo@utad.pt
www.utad.pt/~tazevedo
Anastassios Perdicoulis
Universidade de Tras-os-Montes e Alto Douro
Apartado 1013, 5000-911 Vila Real, Portugal
Tel. + 351 919 268 630
tasso@utad.pt
www.utad.pt/~tasso
System Dynamics is been used experimentally in the teaching of Mathematics to
young adolescents, taking advantage of its capacity to facilitate the visualisation of
abstract entities. The objective of the experiment is to compare the scholarly
progress between the students learning with SD versus the others learning with
conventional mathematics methodology and media.
The particular experiment is conducted in rural North-eastern Portugal, where the
students historically have exhibited a low interest and aptitude for mathematics. In
addition, due to socio-economic conditions, they have little or no familiarity with
modern information technology and equipment, which makes an experiment of this
sort especially interesting.
The experiment, running between October 2002 and June 2003, is set up with circa
100 students of the same year, divided in four classes: two for System Dynamics and
two for classic mathematics teaching means and methods. The mathematics
material is identical for all, with topics in functions/ proportionality, geometry/
similarity of figures, and algebra/ equations.
During the experiment, the students are observed by the same teacher, performing a
qualitative evaluation of, inter alia, their participation, enthusiasm, and
comprehension. The preliminary observations mark a difference between the two
sets of students, the ones instructed with System Dynamics being more interested in
mathematics, facing mathematics as less abstract, and “seeing more into math” than
just mere equations.
Overall, the results of the experiment are encouraging and System Dynamics
appears as a promising instrument for certain topics of mathematics, possibly looking
into a formal curricular introduction.
Key Words and Phrases
Mathematics, System Dynamics, adolescents, rural medium, North-eastern Portugal
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