In several countries including Sweden programming is introduced to secondary students mainly as a part of the mathematics curriculum. “Scratch” is used as a tool inprogramming and this has become a common trend in many countries. However, teaching mathematics using “Scratch” is not appropriate for in-service teachers.

Several research findings show that angle, as a mathematical concept, is difficult to teach and learn (Mitchelmore & White, 2004). We conducted a study in which researchers worked with 32 in-service mathematics teachers in grades 7-9. Because angles are essential characteristics of two- and three-dimensional geometrical objects,the aim of this study was to give in-service teachers the opportunity to improve their experience of using “Scratch” in order to enhance students understanding of angles. Observation, tasks used, video samples and field notes were used as data collecting tools.

The data gathered were analysed in a qualitative way using concepts of the variation theory (Marton, 2015). The variation theory was also used to focus teachers’ attentionon aspects that were possible to discern by using “Scratch”. Angle is a geometric concept but it possesses properties that can be found in various other contexts. The variation theory of learning stems from the concept of phenomenography (e. g.,Marton, 2015). It emphasizes variation as a necessary condition for learners to be ableto discern new aspects of a subject of study.

Based on a preliminary analysis, we could discern three concepts of angle: (1) angle asa movement (in rotation or sweep), (2) angle as a geometric shape (a partitioning of space by two intersecting beams), and (3) angle as a unit for measure. There appears to be an alignment between in-service teachers using “Scratch” and their instructional practices that will be discussed in this presentation in detail. The use of patterns of variation in programming will also be presented.