ERIC Number: EJ1152213
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Apr
Pages: 7
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1072-0839
EISSN: N/A
Investigating Interdimensional Relationships
Valentine, Keri Duncan
Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, v22 n8 p480-486 Apr 2017
The phrase "interdimensional relationships" may conjure images of UFOs, alien beings, wormholes, and even mystical powers. These notions of interdimensionality were not out of bounds in the middle school learners' experiences described in this article. However, these notions do not entirely capture the mathematical relationships investigated with my former fifth and sixth graders. These students questioned the idea of dimension when given opportunities to "play" with spatial phenomena. In this article, the author seeks to share with other middle school mathematics teachers the ways in which fifth-grade and sixth-grade middle school students found their world problematized the moment they were, in the words of one student, "no longer the highest, or the best, or . . . you know." They came to realize that dimensionality is something they had not fully considered, especially relationships and patterns between dimensions and the ways that they connected to their lives as spatial beings. For students, prototypical images, technical vocabulary, and measurement formulas constituted their current understanding. Yet, students did not necessarily see these mathematical notions as something that connected to their world of navigating, seeing, and perceiving. This article aims to support other middle school teachers who may want to engage their students with investigations to consider the complex, human aspect of space and dimension. (A bibliography is included.)
Descriptors: Mathematics Instruction, Grade 5, Grade 6, Middle School Students, Mathematics Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Arithmetic, Geometry
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. 1906 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: 800-235-7566; Tel: 703-620-9840; Fax: 703-476-2570; e-mail: NCTM@nctm.org; Web site: http://www.nctm.org/publications/mathematics-teaching-in-the-middle-school/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Grade 5
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A