The intertwinement of activity and artifacts: A cultural perspective on Realistic Mathematics Education
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Realistic mathematics education (RME) is guided by the notion that mathematics is the human activity of mathematizing the world. In much of the RME literature, mathematizing is theorized to be an individual activity, and the products of mathematizing—mathematical productions and mathematical knowledge—are theorized to be individual constructions and private knowledge. In this dissertation I extend these ideas and discuss how mathematizing is mediated by, and distributed across, cultural artifacts. I therefore argue for the importance of adopting a cultural perspective within RME. My arguments are theoretical and empirical. My empirical argument is drawn from design-based research in high-school classrooms. My theoretical argument is made on the basis of historical and contemporary texts in RME. Adopting a cultural perspective has implications for many of RME’s key principles. Exploring these implications is the next frontier in RME research.
Author: Frederick A. Peck
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2728524467