Mathematics and the Body

Material Entanglements in the Classroom

Elizabeth de Freitas, Nathalie Sinclair

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2014
• Print ISBN:
  9781107039483
• eBook ISBN:
  9781139950404
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: History & Theory in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

This book explores alternative ways to consider the relationship between mathematics and the material world. Drawing on the philosophy of Gilles Châtelet and the post-humanist materialism of Karen Barad, the authors present an 'inclusive materialist' approach to studying mathematics education. This approach offers a fresh perspective on human and nonhuman bodies, challenging current assumptions about the role of the senses, language, and ability in teaching and learning mathematics. Each chapter provides empirical examples from the classroom that demonstrate how inclusive materialism can be applied to a wide range of concerns in the field. The authors analyze recent studies on students' gestures, expressions, and drawings in order to establish a link between mathematical activity and mathematical concepts. Mathematics and the Body expands the landscape of research in mathematics education and will be an essential resource for teachers, students, and researchers alike.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half-title
• Series information
• Title page
• Copyright information
• Table of contents
• List of figures
• Series Foreword
• Foreword
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• 1 When does a body become a body?
• 2 The ‘ontological turn’ of inclusive materialism
• 3 Diagrams, gestures, movement
• 4 Inventiveness in the mathematics classroom
• 5 Materialist approaches to mathematics classroom discourse
• 6 The sensory politics of the body mathematical
• 7 Mapping the cultural formation of the mathematical aesthetic
• 8 The virtuality of mathematical concepts
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Author Index
• Subject Index