Abstract<\/span><\/p>\nThis dissertation investigates the problem of student engagement in elementary mathematics with a particular theoretical framework of imaginative education (IE) (Egan, 1997, 2005).\u00a0 The question at the centre of this study is what the use of imaginative education and imaginative lesson planning frameworks means to children and for their engagement in elementary mathematics.<\/p>\n
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For this study, five intermediate aged elementary students were tracked through a unit of shape and space (geometry).\u00a0 The unit framed with the binary opposites of vision and blindness asked students how they might come to understand shape and space as a sighted and visually impaired person.\u00a0 Thus a humanized perspective was brought to learning of mathematics.\u00a0 After the unit five focus students took part in an individual and a whole group semi-structured interview with the teacher\/researcher.<\/p>\n
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Using qualitative instrumental case study methods, data sources included students\u2019 mathematics journals, activity pages, transcripts of audio and videotaped semi-structured individual and group interviews, a teacher\/researcher diary and a detailed unit overview and lesson plans.\u00a0 The study gathered rich descriptive data focused on bringing out the students\u2019 perspective of their experience.<\/p>\n
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Results indicate the students\u2019 demonstrated positive engagement with mathematics and that use of the IE theory utilizing the students\u2019 imagination and affective responses allowed multiple access points to connect with the mathematical concepts.\u00a0 Three conclusions of the study were that the students expanded their mathematical awareness through making a variety of connections, they were able to develop self-confidence in their learning of mathematics through using emotions and imagination, and they were able to use cognitive tools, particularly a sense of wonder, to engage with mathematics.\u00a0 The dissertation concludes with a discussion of implications and recommendations in four areas.\u00a0 This includes further research in different contexts, in the interaction of imagination and affective responses, and into characteristics of mathematical engagement such as self-confidence.<\/p>\n
Recommendations for how future pedagogical practice might include use of the IE theory and how expansion of student\u2019s perspectives in classroom practice could be embraced bring the dissertation to a close.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
YOU ARE INVITED To attend a mock PhD defence and discussion next Wednesday afternoon 16th October in room 2108 from 3:00 pm-4:15pm with: Pamela Hagen PhD Candidate EDCP RSVP (pamelahagen@elus.net) (The actual defence is on Tuesday 22nd October at 9:00 am in FoGs 203). Listening to Students\u2019 \u00a0\u2013 An Examination of Elementary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2534,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[216,580379],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2488","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcements","category-graduate-program-opportunities"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2534"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2488"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2489,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2488\/revisions\/2489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2488"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2488"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/edcp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2488"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}