Britta Jessen festive lecture

Speaker

Britta Jessen

Abstract 

Are we supposed to replace teaching and learning of mathematical modelling in upper secondary with data science? Is it the same or different? What reasoning can students develop in this domain? And how does this relate to the teaching of history of mathematics? And how can this be share knowledge with and among upper secondary teachers?

This lecture will mark my promotion from tenure track Assistant Professor to be tenured as Associate Professor in didactics of mathematics at Department of Science Education, University of Copenhagen. In the lecture I will present my research ideas for the future. The point of departure is my curiosity regarding empirical studies of how Study and Research Paths (SRP) can support students development of reasoning behind the techniques they employ while solving tasks and problems. In terms of the Anthropological Theory of the Didactics (ATD), I wish to study factors which constraint or condition students’ development of logos, when demonstrating elements of praxeologies.

More specifically, I will present my ideas for studying this in the context of mathematical modelling and in the history of mathematics for mathematics education. In the domain of mathematical modelling we see the emergence of a number of subcategories and purposes of mathematical modelling: data modelling, static modelling, STEM modelling, data driven modelling etc. In the field of statistics, they too are starting to consider modelling as an approach to teaching and learning. Moreover, members of ‘noospheres’ around the world starts to promote the idea of promoting data science in or as a substitute for elements of upper secondary mathematics. But is it all the same? Or what is new in these discourses? I will present my (ATD) take on how to act on this trends in research and in education.

Similarly but also very differently, I will present the potential of engaging students in questioning own and others’ reasoning when taught and learning mathematics. Here I see a potential of drawing on original resources from history of mathematics. I will present a pilot testing of this idea done with colleagues at UCPH.

Finally, the question remains how we can improve mathematics education with the above ideas. Here I will present the design of professional development activities inspired by both lesson study and SRP. This again links to my most recent research using ATD to analyse lesson study and how we support the development of sustainable lesson study outside of Japan, both for lower and upper secondary mathematics.

I look forward to present and discuss my ideas with you this afternoon!