The Corporeal Turn in Mathematical Thinking

Abstract

In mathematics education research there is growing interest in the bodily basis of cognition and how this might inform the teaching and learning of mathematics. The theoretical support for this perspective comes from research in cultural historical activity theory, cognitive neuroscience and the phenomenology of movement. While distinct traditions of research, each of these approaches acknowledges/locates itself within complexity thinking to understand the emergent and dynamic processes at multiple scales. Drawing on this interdisciplinary theoretical framework and using video-recording and artifact data, I report on a qualitative case study of young children explaining their drawings of a solution to a geometry problem. The analytic focus is on the mathematical reasoning that emerges as the children explain their solutions which are mediated through semiotic resources, both symbolic and material including body gestures, senses, and movement. The findings suggest that as we extend the means by which learners engage with one another and with classroom mathematical activities, we may begin to appreciate how capable children are mathematically.