Sense-making in learning mathematics : An act of comprehension or creation?

Journal article

Scheiner, Thorsten and Pinto, Marcia M. F.. (2022). Sense-making in learning mathematics : An act of comprehension or creation? For the Learning of Mathematics. 42(3), pp. 16-20.
AuthorsScheiner, Thorsten and Pinto, Marcia M. F.
Abstract

Earlier approaches to sense-making in mathematics have looked at the ways students comprehend a mathematical concept. Recent research suggests that some students make sense not only of mathematical objects that have a being, but also of objects that have yet to become. In such cases, learning mathematics is not just an act of comprehending a given mathematical concept, but rather an act of creating a mathematical concept that has yet to come into being. In this paper, we argue that this act of creation is better referred to as meaning-making than sense-making, bringing to the fore the distinction between acts of comprehension and acts of creation. Recognising learning mathematics as both sense-making and meaning-making allows better acknowledging the reciprocal relationship between mathematical concept and mathematical conception, a relationship constituted by the interplay of comprehension and creation.

Year2022
JournalFor the Learning of Mathematics
Journal citation42 (3), pp. 16-20
PublisherFaculty of Education, Queen's University
ISSN0228-0671
Web address (URL)https://flm-journal.org/Articles/2FF810BF1953BAD718916533F07E19.pdf
https://flm-journal.org/index.php?do=details&lang=en&vol=42&num=3&pages=16-20&ArtID=1395
Page range16-20
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Output statusPublished
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Online2022
Publication process dates
Deposited19 Jul 2023
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