Supporting Mathematical Creative Development through Dialogic Assessment

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Wednesday 3:45 pm - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Embracing Creativity and Play in the Teaching and Learning of Mathematics

Abstract

Since creative thinking is the essence of mathematics, all aspects of mathematical teaching should support students’ mathematical creative capacity. However, much of mathematical assessment still focuses primarily on accuracy skills, chilling creative growth. In this paper, we describe a creativity-focused assessment process conducted in a college mathematics education course as a dialogue between learner and instructor and analyze how students' understanding of mathematical creativity developed through their participation in this assessment process. Students' understanding of creativity became more complex, especially in terms of how they viewed the interaction between divergent thinking, task structure, and types of intellectual activity. Students also came to see themselves as creatively contributing to the professional mathematical community.

Author

• Meghan Riling, Vanderbilt University