ERIC Number: EJ948399
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Jan
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-1954
EISSN: N/A
Conceptualizing Sound as a Form of Incarnate Mathematical Consciousness
Bautista, Alfredo; Roth, Wolff-Michael
Educational Studies in Mathematics, v79 n1 p41-59 Jan 2012
Much of the evidence provided in support of the argument that mathematical knowing is embodied/enacted is based on the analysis of gestures and bodily configurations, and, to a lesser extent, on certain vocal features (e.g., prosody). However, there are dimensions involved in the emergence of mathematical knowing and the production of mathematical communication that have not yet been investigated. The purpose of this article is to theorize one of these dimensions, which we call incarnate sonorous consciousness. Drawing on microanalyses of two exemplary episodes in which a group of third graders are sorting geometric solids, we show how sound has the potential to mark mathematical similarities and distinctions. These "audible" similarities and distinctions, which may be produced by incarnate dimensions such as beat gestures and prosody, allow children to objectify certain geometrical properties of the objects with which they transact. Moreover, the analysis shows that sonorous production is intertwined with other dimensions of students' bodily activity. These findings are interpreted according to the "theory of mathematics in the flesh," an alternative to current embodiment/enactivist theories in mathematics education. (Contains 8 figures.)
Descriptors: Mathematics Education, Geometric Concepts, Grade 3, Mathematics Instruction, Geometry, Acoustics, Auditory Perception, Learning Modalities, Educational Theories, Learning Theories, Learning Activities, Mathematical Concepts, Mathematics Activities
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Education; Elementary Secondary Education; Grade 3
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A