GROUP WORK WITH MULTIMEDIA IN MATHEMATICS - THE ROLE OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND OF THE TEACHER

This paper reports on a study involving the evaluation and use of the National Curriculum Council sponsored multimedia package World of Numb er. The project was carried out in a South Yorkshire comprehensive sch ool during the Spring Term of 1994, The intended mode of use of the pa ckage was unclear from the initial evaluation and also from initial te acher feedback, In addition little attention seemed to have been given to the role of the teacher. Examples of episodes of classroom interac tion between the teacher/researcher and a small group of pupils workin g at the multimedia system are presented and an interpretation, which takes account of the role of the technology and of the teacher from a Vygotskian perspective, is offered.