New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education

New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education§Edited by Anne Watson, University of Oxford§Peter Winbourne, London South Bank University§New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education gathers current situated cognition theories as applied to the teaching and learning of mathematics by major thinkers in the field. Arranged to be read cover to cover or by the individual chapter, this unique volume examines situated cognition in all levels and contexts of math instruction, in traditional school settings, in adult education, at home, on the job, or on the street. Well-known authorities explore beyond traditional concepts of good practice and the relationship between knowledge and the learner while synthesizing insights from related perspectives, including semiotics, activity theory, ardinas practice, and Moll s concept of funds of knowledge. The emphasis is not merely on achieving standards or even gaining skills, but on learning as a lifelong activity as chapter authors address such questions as:§What can math teachers do to make learning vital to children s identity?§How does situated cognition relate to tacit knowledge?§In what ways are mathematical abstractions situated?§Can vocational math skills be learned away from the workplace?§How is mathematics knowledge transferred from the class to the home environment?§New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education provides a diverse, well-organized resource for educators, researchers, and students to approach this powerful theoretical strand.This book draws together a range of papers by experienced writers in mathematics education who have used the concept of situated cognition in their research within recent years. No other books are available which take this view specifically in mathematics education. Thus it provides an up-to-date overview of developments and applications to which other researchers can refer and which will inspire future research.New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education represents the maturation and expansion of the situated cognition theories applied to mathematics education. All of the situations on which the chapters of this book are based exemplify activity which would be described as mathematical, whether they are classrooms, workplaces, homes or the street. In identifying mathematical activity, this book examines the ways people talk, what they talk about, what they focus on, how they classify experience, what levels and kinds of generality occur to them, what is varied and what is fixed, what relationships they observe or construct and how they express them much they way music, musicality, and a musician are recognized. In this book a dynamic view of knowledge is taken by all the authors. Although knowledge is considered what is produced in learning environments, each chapter offers a different perspective on its relationship to the individual, group, activity, historical conventions, and authoritarian views of meaning.§New Directions for Situated Cognition in Mathematics Education provides a resource for educators, researchers and students to approach situated cognition through an organized and diverse source.