A three-layer model for understanding mathematical text: thesaurus - semantics - semiotics

Abstract

One of the main sources of acquiring mathematical knowledge in higher education is mathematical text. However, many students experience significant difficulties in reading and understanding mathematical texts. These difficulties are associated with insufficient knowledge of terminology, an inability to identify semantic relationships between mathematical concepts, and problems in interpreting various forms of representation of mathematical symbols and information. This article proposes a three-layer model for understanding mathematical text based on the integration of the thesaurus approach, semantic analysis, and the theory of semiotic registers. The model describes the process of forming a student's system of knowledge while working with mathematical text. According to the proposed model, understanding mathematical text is formed at the following three interconnected levels: at the semiotic level - interpreting the forms of representation of mathematical information; at the semantic level - identifying the logical relationships between mathematical concepts; at the thesaurus level - forming a system of mathematical knowledge. The results obtained may serve as a methodological basis for developing students' skills in working with mathematical information in the course of mathematical analysis.