In this theoretical paper, we explore interrelationships between conceptual and procedural understanding of mathematics in the context of individuals and groups. We question the enterprise of attempting to assess learn-ers' mathematical understanding by inviting them to perform a (perhaps unfamiliar) procedure or offer an explanation. Would it be appropriate to describe a learner in possession of an algorithm for responding satisfactorily to such prompts as displaying conceptual under-standing? We relate the discussion to Searle's " Chinese Room " thought experiment and draw on Habermas' Theory of Communicative Action to develop potential implications for addressing the problem of interpreting learners' mathematical understanding.
Publié le : 2015-02-04
Classification:
Conceptual,
Habermas,
procedural,
Searle,
understanding,
[SHS.EDU]Humanities and Social Sciences/Education,
[MATH.MATH-HO]Mathematics [math]/History and Overview [math.HO]
@article{hal-01289445,
author = {Kent, Geoff and Foster, Colin},
title = {Re-conceptualising conceptual understanding in mathematics},
journal = {HAL},
volume = {2015},
number = {0},
year = {2015},
language = {en},
url = {http://dml.mathdoc.fr/item/hal-01289445}
}
Kent, Geoff; Foster, Colin. Re-conceptualising conceptual understanding in mathematics. HAL, Tome 2015 (2015) no. 0, . http://gdmltest.u-ga.fr/item/hal-01289445/