Literature has already shown that gestures play a relevant role in classroom interactions between students and teacher. We integrate the perspective of Theory of Semiotic Mediation with the notion of Semiotic Bundle to illustrate how gestures can be used as "pivot signs" in semiotic chains. This means that gestures can be performed by…

This story is a playful retelling of ideas related to infinity. Presented as a historical fiction, the story reflects the thinking of research participants who addressed the ping pong ball conundrum, and where indicated, the individuals who contributed to modern formal understandings of infinity. This story offers a way of engaging with questions,…

Instruments have been used for centuries in mathematical experience and in the teaching tradition as well. One example is cultural instruments inherited from tradition (e.g., rulers, abaci, compasses, curve-drawing devices) that have followed or anticipated the theoretical development of mathematics. In this article, the authors analyze two cases…

Describes a study which took place in a grade 9 classroom that consisted of five groups with 3-5 pupils in a group. Pupils were required to calculate the areas of a number of shapes on a geoboard. Concludes that a teacher working with pupils in small groups brings new challenges for mathematics teachers. (Contains 11 references.) (ASK)