Moving in Early Geometry Education

MSTEG Research Webinar Series 2021
Presenters:
Prof Maria Mellone, Dr Gemma Carotenuto (University of Naples Federico II, Italy), Dr Marina Spadea (Kindergarten Fava-Gioia, Naples, Italy)
Hosts:
Prof Wee Tiong Seah and Carmel Mesiti (Melbourne Graduate School of Education)
Students’ full body movements have often been considered to be a hindrance to mathematics activities in the classroom. During the last twenty years or so, however, research development about the embodied mind and its relationships with mathematics has raised awareness of the crucial role played by body movements in mathematics learning processes. Moreover, this research is consistent with several educational traditions from different cultures which recognize the importance of placing learners’ bodies and material manipulations at the core of educational perspectives, at least for the kindergarten curriculum. Nevertheless, this is rarely done with explicit mathematics education goals.
In this webinar, Maria, Gemma and Marina assume an enactive perspective and use the theoretical lens of sensous cognition to introduce an educational approach. It leads kindergarten students to experience straight, jagged and curved lines arising from their own movements, through particular walking patterns, or via painting and drawing activities.
Maria, Gemma and Marina work together on early mathematics education. As researchers and teacher educators, they feel the need to show that full body movements can be powerful allies if seriously considered in mathematics educational design. Maria and Gemma are professor and post-doc researcher in mathematics education respectively at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy. Marina is a kindergarten research-teacher and teacher educator at the University of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa, Italy.
Note:
The presentations and exchanges in this webinar reflect personal views only. Any opinion or perspective represented in the session is personal and belongs solely to the speaker concerned, and does not represent those of people, institutions or organisations that each speaker may or may not be associated with in either professional or personal capacity, nor of MGSE, unless explicitly stated. Any view or opinion is not intended to malign any ethnic group, religion, school/university, organisation, or individual.