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Working Group 6: Mathematics and Intuition / Atelier 6: Mathématiques et intuition
(B. Davis, G. Flewelling, K. Hoechsmann)

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BRENT DAVIS, GARY FLEWELLING, AND KLAUS HOECHSMANN, University of Alberta, Brock University, PIMS
Mathematics and Intuition / Mathématiques et intuition [PDF]

Whatever "intuition" might be, in mathematics or elsewhere, most people would agree that it is largely (if not wholly) shaped by EXPERIENCE.

In this working group, we shall try to

(1)

define areas of desired "intuitive competence" in students and teachers of mathematics (e.g., sense of number, quantity, space, logic, etc.),

(2)

make conjectures as to the sorts of experiences that might support such competences (e.g., measuring, computing, drawing, building, etc.),

(3)

clarify the role of technology in the development of mathematical intuition.

These points will be considered in the context of each of the three "themes" of this forum (i.e., thought, school, teachers.)

Our discussions will be framed by brief overviews of relevant research in the cognitive sciences and contextualized by examples from ongoing investigations in a specific group of adolescent learners.