The Functions of Visualisation in Learning Geometry

Abstract

Over the last thirty years, a considerable body of practice has been built up in schools in the U.K. on developing students’ geometric awareness. These practices involve the use of physical objects, verbal descriptions, diagrams and film. More recently, these have been augmented by computer software — sometimes devised in imitation of these practices, but also in new ways suggested by the medium. If we are to be clearer about how the computer might be used as a stimulus for learners’ developing control of their imaginations, we need to consider the purposes of the earlier stimuli and how their features are utilised. In this paper, I examine these features by situating them in a wider context of visual phenomena, and offer suggestions for further enquiry. Owing to difficulty in the notion of ‘mental imagery’, it is necessary to begin by considering the various meanings of geometric images.