UNIVERSITY OF COLOMBO, SRI LANKA

FACULTY OF SCIENCE

M.Sc./Postgraduate Diploma in Mathematics Education – 2017

Examination – Semester III

MME 5005: METHODOLOGY OF TEACHING AND LEARNING MATHEMATICS

Time: Two Hours

Answer all questions

No. of questions: 04
No. of pages: 02 (including the cover page)

Important Instructions to the Candidates

 If a page or a part of this question paper is not printed, please inform the Supervisor
immediately.
 Write the answers to all questions on the writing paper that is provided.
 Write your index number on all pages of the answer script.
 Calculators are not allowed.
 Electronic devices capable of storing and retrieving text including electronic dictionaries
and mobile phones are not allowed.
 At the end of the examination hand over the answer scripts attached together. You can
keep the exam.
1) (i) Briefly explain rationalism and empiricism.
(ii) Briefly explain how transfer occurs according to the following viewpoints:
(a) Behaviorism
(b) Cognitivism
(c) Constructivism
(iii) Briefly explain concept definition and concept image.
1
(iv) Some students were shown the following graph of f ( x)  ( x  0) and
x
asked: “Is the function continuous? If possible, give your reasons for your
answer.”

Some of the students answered “no” and gave the following reason: “the
graph is not in one piece”. Comment on the concept image of a continuous
function these students have.

2) (i) (a) Explain what abstracting and classifying mean in the everyday sense.
(b) What are primary concepts and secondary concepts?
(ii) Briefly explain schema, assimilation, and accommodation.
(iii) Briefly explain instrumental understanding and relational understanding.
(iv) The following rule can be used to find whether a network can be traversed or
not:
A network can be traversed if and only if the number of odd vertices is zero,
or two.
Using the above rule, determine which of the following networks can be
traversed:

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 What explanation would you add to the above rule so that students can
discover a rule to find the networks that could be traversed starting and
ending at the same vertex?

3) (i) Briefly explain intuitive intelligence and reflective intelligence.

(ii) Briefly explain the Gestalt principle the properties of parts are functions of
the whole or total system in which they are imbedded.
(iii) How would you modify the following task into an open ended task with
multiple correct answers?
How many intersection points does the parabola y  x 2  2 x  2 have with
the straight line y  x  2 ?
Discuss solution strategies for your modified task.

4) (i) Explain the role of symbols in reflective activity.

(ii) Give a verbal statement of the following visual statement:

Is your verbal statement inferior to the above visual statement? Comment on

the two statements.
(iii) Compare and contrast properties of visual and verbal-algebraic symbols.
(iv) APOS is a constructivist theory of learning. Explain the APOS cycle by
considering how students may learn the function f ( x)   t t  1dt; x  1 .
x

End of Exam

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