Complexity Theory and the Mathematics Lab-Classroom

The main thesis of a recent article by Davis and Simmt (2003) is that " mathematics classes are adaptive and self-organizing complex systems ". This thesis is intriguing. It helps explain a phenomenon teachers often witness—the spontaneous emergence of a special learning community in a particular class. And it raises the question—if this thesis applies to all mathematics classes how do the additional elements of a computer lab environment affect the evolution of the " learning system " ? In this article three technology experiences have been analyzed in light of the thesis, to determine how software, organization, and task impact the blossoming of a complex learning system in the lab-classroom.