Summary of SyMETRI Meeting: May 6th, 2024 by Qiaochu Xu

Presenter/Guest Speaker: Dr. Canan Gunes from the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, UBC
Date: May 6th, 2024
Host: Dr. Cynthia Nicol

Postdoctoral fellow Canan Gunes presented her recent study exploring how an expanded understanding of the senses matters to mathematics education research. Canan introduced the notion of aestheticizing mathematics and a novice research method designed to investigate the mathematical sensorium.

Multiplicative thinking involves understanding mathematical concepts through different representations. For example, many-to-one correspondence can be illustrated by plates and apples, where one plate with two apples, multiplied by four plates, results in eight apples (Vergnaud, 1988). Similarly, two unit counts demonstrate that 4 x 2 equals 8 (Davydov, 1992). In exploring these concepts, the various tonalities of bodily movements likely form part of subconscious sensations, which help develop meanings of multiplication.

Re-enactment assists in capturing these tonalities, leading educators to consider asking students, “What are you feeling?” instead of only “What are you thinking?” Re-enactment as a research method can provide material and methods for ensemble learning, as demonstrated in large-scale dance performances where mathematical concepts are enacted (Vogelstein et al., 2019). Additionally, aestheticizing multiplication explores how senses are mobilized in the process of understanding mathematics, prompting researchers to question how we sense the sensing. This is particularly relevant in research questions examining how multiplicative thinking emerges with tools like TouchTimes.

Here are some slides from Canan’s Presentation:

Bio

Dr. Canan Gunes currently serves as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Mathematics Education at Simon Fraser University and as a sessional instructor in the Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy at the University of British Columbia. Her background includes a Ph.D. degree in Mathematics Education from Simon Fraser University and a Master’s degree in Primary Education from Bosphorus University. Before her Master’s studies, she taught mathematics at the elementary and middle school levels in Istanbul, Turkey. Her research focuses on teacher learning and noticing, the integration of digital technologies in math education, and the influence of language on the teaching and learning of mathematics.