A characterisation of mathematics education creativity inspired by active and popular pedagogy

Abstract

The present PhD thesis has been developed through an interweaving of reflections and experiences in the field of mathematics education that have, gradually, steered the research interest in a specific direction. Initially, the focus on studies and research about informal mathematics education (Nemirovsky, Kelton & Civil, 2017) and the field of critical mathematics education (Skovsmose & Penteado, 2012) allowed for an in-depth study of these two strands, with a view to a connection between mathematics education and ideals of democracy and active citizenship. Contextually, particular educational experiences, carried out during the PhD course, have stimulated a reflection in this same sense. In particular, my involvement in two editions of the "Proud of You" 1 project fostered the development of some issues concerning the creation of educational activities designed in informal mathematics education contexts and the potential, through them, to mediate mathematical content in students from socio-culturally disadvantaged backgrounds, acting effectively and sustainably with respect to preventing and combating early school drop-out. The curiosity about these two issues generated an opening of the horizon of interests that led to explore the field of active and popular pedagogy. The literature references taken into consideration turned out to be valuable and inspiring, and opened the way to a reflection on the possible tools for implementing a motivating didactic design and the possibility of intertwining it with the desire for social redemption and liberation from any kind of oppression. With these assumptions, the research then moved in a more specific and clear direction. In particular, the focus was on the design and implementation of teaching activities that were meaningful, from a mathematical point of view, and inclusive and attentive to the ideals of democracy, from a social point of view. The focus therefore shifted to the process of designing and implementing mathematical teaching activities of the kind made explicit, paving the way for the research and the characterisation of the mathematics education creativity. With this in mind, studies and research into mathematical creativity have been investigated in detail, enabling the object of investigation to be framed. With the aim of investigating the kind of mathematical creativity involved, effective methodologies were researched for data collection and subsequent

analysis. Inspired by the research (Hadamard, 1945; Liljedahl, 2004), interviews were conducted, involving teachers who showed great creativity in teaching design, also with reference to socially and culturally disadvantaged contexts. [edited by Author]