CULTURAL TOOLS AND MATHEMATICAL LEARNING - A CASE-STUDY

This study investigates the role that four second graders' use of the hundreds board played in supporting their conceptual development over a 10-week period. Particular attention is given to the transition from counting by ones to counting by tens and ones. The analysis indicates that the children's use of the hundreds board did not support the construction of increasingly sophisticated concepts of ten. However, children's use of the hundreds board did appear to support their ability to reflect to their mathematical activity once they had made this conceptual advance. The constructivist perspective exemplified in the analysis is constrasted with a sociocultural perspective on mathematical development. The differing roles attributed to cultural tools are clarified, and potentially complementary aspects of the two perspectives are discussed.