La comprensión de la representación del volumen por los estudiantes de la E.S.O. y el bachillerato

Abstract

This article is about a research project that tries to investigate the idea some Secondary School pupils achieve on volume and its representation as referents for graphic representation. The aim of the article is to establish a framework to discuss when these concepts must be introduced in the curriculum and which are the most adequate notions to work in each educational level. Another important goal is to investigate the origin of the difficulties students have understanding of some of these concepts and also their references. The research is divided in two parts: The first one is a study to know how the Visual and Plastic Education text books introduce the notions about volume and its representation and which kind of pictures the authors use to exemplify these concepts. The second part is a research with the aim of knowing the volume representation notions the students of E.S.O. and “Bachillerato” have and how these notions are modified along their training, as well the factors that can influence in this modification. The research results, collected from five Secondary Schools of Barcelona province, define the different notions about volume and its representation students have and their relationship with the text books analysis. Finally some didactic suggestions taken from the project conclusions and the author’s experience as a teacher will be presented.