Positioning in mathematics: 6-year-old students collaborating on combinatorics

Hanna Palmér; Andreas Ebbelind; Kristina Danielsson; Emelie Patron; Marina Wernholm

doi:10.31129/LUMAT.14.4.2613

Authors

Hanna Palmér Linnaeus University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2217-6624
Andreas Ebbelind Linnaeus University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8452-6357
Kristina Danielsson Stockholm University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4842-7869
Emelie Patron Linnaeus University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9193-943X
Marina Wernholm Linnaeus University, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5497-7034

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31129/LUMAT.14.4.2613

Keywords:

positioning, mathematics, collaboration, problem solving, digital technology

Abstract

In mathematics education, student collaboration is often emphasised as desirable. The focus of this paper is on students’ positioning during collaborative problem solving and problem posing on the mathematical content combinatorics. The study utilises the Learning Design Sequence model for lesson design and positioning theory as an analytical framework. In a sequence of lessons, students worked with both problem solving and problem posing, using different ways of representing their solutions, such as pictures, physical objects, and digital animations. Two cases of collaboration between 6-year-old students are used to illustrate their positioning during this sequence of lessons. One conclusion is that, when collaborating, students’ experiences of each other as learners in general and mathematics learners in particular have influence on their positioning which in turn may influence their possibilities of meaning making in mathematics.

Author Biography

Andreas Ebbelind, Linnaeus University, Sweden

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