Registers of semiotic representation theory in mathematics education researches in higher education: an analysis of surfaces and two variables functions using the software Maple

Abstract

This paper presents some reflections motivated by mistakes that students and researchers have made in their lectures/research when they are using the Registers of Semiotics Representation Theory (RSRT), proposed by Duval. Without loss of generality and essence, we take some definitions from the Duval proposal and the concepts of differential and integral calculus (focused specifically on surfaces and two / three variables functions) in order to use them as mathematical objects of reference. The main goal is explain those definitions in such way to highlight RSRT contributions for the analysis of mathematics education researches practices in higher education and assist students in thinking about this topic, discussing the instrumental techniques of representation of those functions in different registers, especially for the three dimensional graphic registers using the software Maple, since the phenomenon "see" or "represent" 3D mathematical objects is one of the obstacles in the calculus learning of almost all students.

Keywords:
Conversion; Treatment; Object of knowledge; Definitions; Sign