Playful Mathematics: An Exploration of Design and Learning

数学是一门出了名的不受欢迎的学科；“数学不好”几乎没有什么污点，以至于受过教育的成年人公开用这种方式描述自己。数学不受欢迎的原因有很多；其中最主要的原因是，学校数学很少提供机会去接触这门潜在迷人的学科的丰富性。因此，美国的数学教育渠道更多的是一个过滤器，而不是一个水泵，把学生抽出来，而不是把他们带出来。孩子们有图书馆帮助他们爱上文学：哪里有机会爱上数学？这个项目提供了一个独特的机会，在一个非正式的环境--明尼苏达州博览会，由具有数学知识的志愿者协助，研究与数学有关的儿童。单杆数学游乐场为孩子们提供了一个参与数学的地方，通过探索模式，提出量化问题，并调查形状和空间来数学化他们的游戏。该项目将对这一活动进行观察和录像，以便为在各种课外环境中设计数学学习环境提供信息，例如课外方案和夏令营，使更广泛的人口能够接触到这些环境。该项目由EHR核心研究(ECR)和推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划共同资助。ECR计划强调STEM基础教育研究，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，以及STEM劳动力发展。AISL项目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)展品不同部分的设计如何不同地支持儿童和数学家之间丰富的数学互动？(2)儿童如何参与展品的不同部分？参与程度的差异与(A)展品设计和(B)先前的数学经验有何关系？(3)展品志愿者、数学家和照顾者如何互动来支持(或破坏)学生的数学游戏？该项目将使用参与者观察和视频拍摄来通过展览捕捉参观者的活动，并将其作为定性的案例研究进行分析。

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.