Mathematics and the Body
Material Entanglements in the Classroom

This book expands the landscape of research in mathematics education by analyzing how the body influences mathematical thinking.

Elizabeth de Freitas (Author), Nathalie Sinclair (Author)

9781107039483, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 June 2014

284 pages, 65 b/w illus. 2 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 1.9 cm, 0.51 kg

'The sense of timing for this work is finely tuned, because some of us have been thinking that too often in mathematics education, in particular, we have been asking the wrong questions in the wrong way. The authors' response is through a different 'conceptual space'. Rather than invoking a sociocultural, linguistic, or sociopolitical turn, the authors' specific approach is to explore the 'material'. It is an approach that invites dialogue from which new knowledge can be built.' Margaret Walshaw, Massey University

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.

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.

Subject Areas: Mathematics [PB], Educational psychology [JNC], Cognition & cognitive psychology [JMR], Psychology [JM]