Discovery and Exploration. In
technology-infused discovery activities,
Internet research, virtual manipulatives,
and multimedia resources allow
students to explore unanswered
questions. For example, instead of
beginning a lesson on geometric transformations
by listening to a lecture or
looking at examples on the board, a
fourth grader might use the free geometric
transformation activities in Utah
State University’s National Library of
Virtual Manipulatives (nlvm.usu.edu)
to answer a probing question such as
“What is a geometric refl ection?” Middle
schoolers might take it a step further
to discover and develop steps for
graphing a refl ection on a coordinate
plane. Exploring as a real mathematician
would, students try to understand,
analyze, and evaluate their experience
to answer the posed question.