Computational thinking and experiences of aritimetic
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Mathematics Knowledge Network
Abstract
In this paper, we discuss how students experienced number while learning to
program their robot to move. First, we will provide overview of the context and the research
by describing a task used to develop conceptions of “number.” Then, we will introduce two
discourses from the cognitive sciences that orient the work: Conceptual Metaphor Theory
(Lakoff & Nuñez, 2000) and Conceptual Blending Theory (Fauconnier & Turner, 2003). Finally,
we will analyze an interaction among two students and their teacher as they tacitly negotiate
meanings of number that are appropriate to the task of programming their robot to move
forward 100 cm. Our analysis suggests that computational settings may afford rich settings for
experiencing and blending distinct instantiations of a range of number concepts in manners
that support flexible and transferable understandings.
Description
Keywords
Programming robot, number, Grade 4, elementary mathematics
Citation
Francis, K., & Davis, B. (2020). Computational thinking and experiences of aritimetic. In the Proceedings of the Online Seminar Series on Programming in Mathematics Education, Ontario. Available http://mkn-rcm.ca/online-seminar-series-on-programming-in-mathematics-education/