The research is devoted to teaching one of the basic mathematical concepts – the function – in the secondary school. Regarded as the key instrument of mathematics and experimental modeling, the notion of function including its perception, interpretation and application have always been under the scrutiny of Russian and foreign scientists. The authors focus their attention on specificity of students’ perception of the above concept, integrated in teaching process, and provide several examples of functions, applied in different spheres of everyday life, in order to develop students’ operational skills and competences related to mathematical functions. All the interrelated aspects of teaching methods and practices are considered on the basis of activity approach and information technologies.

The paper recommends a series of particular exercises, based on the APOS theory (Action – Process – Object – Scheme), along with the Geogebra courseware to help students master their conceptual understanding of mathematical function, and its operational options in various mathematical contexts (e.g. calculating the roots, estimating the limits and derivatives, changing the parameters, solving practical problems, etc). The assignment samples demonstrate visibility of the courseware and effectiveness of its application in practical teaching.

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