Playful Mathematics: An Exploration of Design and Learning

众所周知，数学是一门不受欢迎的学科；“数学不好”并不是什么耻辱，受过教育的成年人也会这样公开地描述自己。数学不受欢迎的原因有很多；其中最主要的是，学校数学很少提供机会，让学生接触到这个潜在的迷人学科的丰富性。因此，美国的数学教育管道更多的是一个过滤器，而不是一个泵，把学生吸出来，而不是把他们带进来。孩子们有图书馆帮助他们爱上文学：他们从哪里得到爱上数学的机会呢？这个项目提供了一个独特的机会，研究儿童从事数学在一个非正式的设置，明尼苏达州博览会，由数学知识渊博的志愿者促进。数学棒上的数学游乐场为孩子们提供了一个通过探索模式、提出定量问题、研究形状和空间来数学化他们的游戏的地方。该项目将对这种参与进行观察和录像，以便为各种课外时间环境（如课后项目和夏令营）的数学学习环境的设计提供信息，这些环境可以为更广泛的人群提供服务。该项目由EHR核心研究（ECR）和推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目共同资助。ECR项目强调基础STEM教育研究，在三个主题领域产生基础知识：STEM学习和学习环境，扩大参与和STEM劳动力发展。AISL计划旨在推进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。该项目将调查三个研究问题：(1)展览的各个部分的设计如何以不同的方式支持儿童与数学家之间丰富的数学互动？(2)儿童如何参与展览的不同部分？参与的差异与(a)展览设计和(b)先前的数学经验有何关系？(3)展览志愿者、数学家和看护者如何相互作用来支持（或破坏）学生的数学游戏？该项目将通过参与观察和录像来捕捉参观者在展览中的活动，并将其作为定性案例研究进行分析。

Mathematics is a notoriously disliked subject; there is so little stigma associated with being "bad at math", that educated adults openly describe themselves in this way. There are many reasons for math's unpopularity; chief among them is that school mathematics seldom offers opportunities to engage with the richness of this potentially fascinating subject. As a result, the mathematics education pipeline in the United States is more often a filter than a pump, siphoning students out rather than bringing them along. Children have libraries to help them fall in love with literature: where do they get a chance to fall in love with math? This project presents a unique opportunity to study children engaged with mathematics in an informal setting, the Minnesota State Fair, facilitated by mathematically knowledgeable volunteers. The Math On-a-Stick mathematical playground provides a place for children to engage with mathematics by exploring patters, asking quantitative questions, and investigating shape and space to mathematize their play. The project will observe and videotape this engagement to inform the design of mathematical learning environments in a variety of outside of school time settings, such as after school programs and summer camps, that are accessible to a wider range of the population. This project is co-funded by the EHR Core Research (ECR) and Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) programs. The ECR program emphasizes fundamental STEM education research that generates foundational knowledge in three thematic areas: STEM learning and learning environments, broadening participation, and STEM workforce development. The AISL program seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. The project will investigate three research questions: (1) How does the design of various parts of the exhibit differently support rich mathematical interactions between children and mathematicians? (2) How do children engage different parts of the exhibit? How do differences in engagement relate to (a) exhibit design and (b) prior mathematical experience? (3) How do exhibit volunteers, mathematicians, and caregivers interact to support (or undermine) students' mathematical play? The project will use participant observation and videography to capture visitors' activities through the exhibit, analyzing them as qualitative case studies.