The technological mediation of mathematics and its learning

Provided by Institute of Education EPrints

Published in Nunes,T (ed) Special Issue, ‘Giving Meaning to Mathematical Signs: Psychological,
Pedagogical and Cultural Processes‘ Human Development, Vol 52, No 2, April, pp. 129-

The technological mediation of mathematics and
its learning

Celia Hoyles & Richard Noss
London Knowledge Lab
Institute of Education, University of London

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which mathematical knowledge, and its related
pedagogy, is inextricably linked to the tools - physical, virtual, cultural - in which it
is expressed. Our goal is to focus on a few exemplars of computational tools, and to
describe with some illustrative examples, how mathematical meanings are shaped by
their use. We begin with an appraisal of the role of digital technologies, and our
rationale for focusing on them. We present four categories of digital tool-use that
distinguish their differing potential to shape mathematical cognition. The four
categories are: i. dynamic and graphical tools, ii. tools that outsource processing
power, iii. new representational infrastructures, and iv. the implications of high-
bandwidth connectivity on the nature of mathematics activity. In conclusion, we draw
out the implications of this analysis for mathematical epistemology and the
mathematical meanings students develop. We also underline the central importance of
design, both of the tools themselves and the activities in which they are embedded.

Keywords: digital technology; mathematics; dynamic tools; connectivity; design;
representational infrastructure

1. Introduction

This paper addresses a central issue for mathematical development: to explore the
extent to which mathematical knowledge is situated in the practices within which it
was developed and the signs used in these situations. How far is mathematical
knowledge, and its related pedagogy, inextricably linked to the tools - physical,
virtual, cultural - in which it is expressed? Put another way, how are abstractions
shaped by and expressed in the medium? To address these questions, our method in

1   2   3   4   >>

More intriguing information