Principles of Realistic Mathematics Education and the use of Software in teaching Differential Equations

Abstract

Under the philosophy of realistic mathematics education (RME), teaching pedagogy tends to construct knowledge through meaningful experience that turns the student into an active protagonist of his or her learning. In this dynamic, their creativity, autonomy, and formation of criteria are strengthened; their intellectual and disciplinary development, in short, the development of the person. This work aimed to analyze the principles of EMR and their reflection under the study of a situational problem using the software tool as support in learning. To achieve this, the principles of EMR are presented, the realistic mathematical project (PMR) is characterized, the relevance of mathematical modeling is explained and some software that supports the teaching of mathematics is described. The methodology used consisted of a theoretical review based on the consultation of specialist authors such as: Alsina (2009), Zolkower, Bressan, and Gallego (2004), Freudenthal (1983), Cárcamo, Gómez and Fortuny (2015), Gómez-Chacón , Master (2008). It was concluded that, under the principles of EMR, the student develops mathematization and contextualized problem-solving skills. This involves reflecting in a group, learning from the experience naturally, developing positive attitudes; this in order to the application of formal mathematical knowledge. In addition, it was demonstrated that the use of the software provides the student with an effective tool for solving and understanding mathematical problems, therefore, with a teacher's guidance, they advance in learning levels.