A HYPOTHETICAL LEARNING TRAJECTORY FOR LOGARITHMS

ngel M. Carreras-Jusino
University of Georgia
amcarr@uga.edu

Keywords: Learning trajectories

Logarithms plays an important role in the high school curricula, particularly as a foundation
for further studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Unfortunately, the logarithm concept gives students considerable difficulty. Researchers and
educators alike have recognized that traditional instructional methods used to teach logarithms
do not lead to a productive understanding of logarithms (Weber, 2002; Wood, 2005).
In this poster, I propose a hypothetical learning trajectory (HLT) for logarithms, based on a
view of logarithms as an arithmetic operation independent from exponentials. A learning
trajectory consists of: (1) a mathematical learning goal, (2) a hypothesized model of students
thinking and learning, and (3) an instructional sequence. I made use of APOS Theory as a
framework for the design of the HLT. I found this theory to be useful because it is principally a
model for describing how mathematical concepts can be learned; it is a framework used to
explain how individuals mentally construct their understandings of mathematical concepts
(Arnon et al., 2014, p. 17). The poster will also display a series of proposed activities specifically
designed to move learners through the HLT.
The main learning goal of the HLT is for students to understand log as the number of
factors of b that are in the number m. Other goals are for students to correctly use and understand
logarithmic notation, evaluate logarithmic expressions in which the result are whole numbers,
estimate between which two whole numbers the logarithm of a number is, derive the addition
and subtraction laws of logarithms, and derive the identities log 1 = 0 and log = 1. It is not
a goal of the HLT for students to find the exact value of a logarithm expression when the result is
not a whole number. It is neither a goal of the HLT for students to make a connection between
logarithms and exponentials.
In line with APOS Theory, I argue that students need to develop and move from an Action,
to a Process, to an Object understanding of logarithms in order to have a productive
understanding of logarithms. An Action understanding of logarithms would allow students to
solve problems that implicitly call for repeated division by the same factor as a solution method,
in which the number of repetitions would be the answer. With a Process understanding of
logarithms, students can make generalizations about logarithms by deriving and making sense of
some of their properties. An Object understanding of logarithms allow students to conceive a
logarithmic expression as static, not as an instruction to do something. This particular type
understanding is essential for the manipulation of operations with logarithms and generalizations
about the laws that these operations entail.

References
Arnon, I., Cotrill, J., Dubinsky, E., Okta, A., Roa Fuentes, S., Trigueros, M., & Weller, K. (2014). APOS Theory:
A framework for research and curriculum development in mathematics education. New York, NY: Springer.
Weber, K. (2002). Students understanding of exponential and logarithmic functions. In I. Vakalis, D. Hughes-
Hallett, Ch. Kourouniotis, & D. Quinney (Eds.), Proceedings of the Second International Conference on the
Teaching of Mathematics: pp. 110. New York, NY: Wiley & Sons.
Wood, E. (2005). Understanding logarithms. Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications, 24(4), 167178.