From Silent to Seen: Making Visible Mathematical Practices in STEM Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 4
  In Roundtable Session: Mathematics Learning for Multilingual Students

Abstract

This study examines how multilingual middle school students engaged in mathematical practice during a collaborative engineering design project in an integrated STEM summer camp. While school mathematics is often narrowly framed through symbols and procedures, we found that students demonstrated sophisticated ways of working mathematically through practices such as spatial reasoning, inference-in-action, generalization, and collaborative problem-solving. Grounded in sociocultural theories of learning and embodiment, the analysis highlights how mathematics emerges as a dynamic, embodied, and socially mediated practice. Recognizing these types of practices expands conventional definitions of mathematics, foregrounds the contributions of students from nondominant communities, and underscores the importance of centering mathematics as a vibrant and integral component of STEM education.

Authors

• Esma Nur Kahveci, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth

• Shakhnoza Kayumova, University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth