RiSE Center Colloquium, October 18, 2010
RiSE Center Colloquia Series
Maine Center for Research in STEM Education
University of Maine, Orono, Maine
Presents
Professor Joe Wagner
Department of Mathematics
Xavier University
Do you see what I see?
Issues of structure and transfer in mathematics education research
What does it mean to say that two mathematics problems are solved “the same way”? How do we determine that two contextually different situations embody the same mathematical principle? These questions are related to the longstanding problem of the “transfer” of knowledge: the problem of explaining how knowledge learned in one context is later applied to or used in another context. Many attempts to explain how transfer occurs do so by assuming that problems and situations can be said to have “structure,” and that we transfer knowledge when we recognize similar or identical structure across situations. This presentation will explore the nature of problem structure, the difficulties entailed by trying to define or locate it, and the challenge of interpreting structure and transfer within a constructivist perspective on learning.
Monday, October 18, 2010
3:00 pm
100 Neville Hall
(Note change of venue)
Refreshments will be served in 100 Neville Hall at 2:50 pm