Virtual Environment of Learning to Support the Topic of Proportionality at Elementary Levels

Abstract

This article describes the technological and educational factors involved in the development of the educational software proposal named Dwarfs and Giants, which is expressed as a Virtual Environment of Learning developed under the standard Sharable Content Object Reference Model in its version 1.2. This tool lends a helping hand to the teacher in the classroom. It has activities, according to the studying plan of the Secretaría de Educación Pública in Mexico. To strengthen the topics of ratio and proportion in students of the sixth grade of elementary school. The VLE was tested and used by a group of 28 students in the sixth grade of elementary school during 8 sessions, once every week. As field research these students answered some initial questions before using the software and answered some more questions at the end. Meaningful attainments were obtained and these are shown in the information given by the teacher in charge of the group and related to the raising of the grade in the mathematics exams from various students. There was an increase in the final evaluation compared to the initial one (43.2% to 73.2%). When applying the test t-student, a statistically meaningful difference was observed (p<0.005), that is why the VLE is considered to have had profound positive impact on the students' learning.