[Maths-Education] Luis Radford in Manchester- Seminar on Tuesday 20th May, 4:30pm, School of Education

[Birgit Pepin]

Generator Microsoft Word 11 (filtered medium) Dear colleague,

We cordially invite you to a seminar presentation by Luis Radford from the Université Laurentienne, Canada.
Please see the abstract below.

Date: Tuesday 20th May
Time: 4.30 pm
Venue: University of Manchester, School of Education, Room B4.3
Tea and coffee will be available from 4pm onwards.

We look forward to seeing you there.
(Please rsvp to Birgit- birgit.pepin at manchester.ac.uk- so that we get an idea of numbers, and we will send you Luis'  paper.)

Best wishes,
Maths Education Research Group
University of Manchester




On Some Students'  Struggles with Expressing Relative Motions through Graphs:
A Semiotic Analysis

Luis Radford
Université Laurentienne, Canada

A graph is a complex mathematical sign. It serves to depict, in specific ways, certain states of affairs. But because graphs are not copies of the phenomena that they depict or represent, making and interpreting mathematical graphs is not a trivial endeavour. A Cartesian graph rests on a sophisticated syntax and a complex manner of conveying meanings. In this presentation, I deal with students'  understanding of Cartesian graphs in the context of a problem of relative motion. The investigation is carried out in the course of a process that I term objectification, i.e., a social process related to the manner in which students become progressively conversant, through personal deeds and interpretations, with the cultural logic of mathematical entities. I provide a multi-semiotic analysis of the work done by one group of Grade 10 students and their teacher, and track the evolution of meanings through an intense activity mediated by multiple voices, gestures and mathematical signs.



Birgit Pepin, PhD PGCE MSC
School of Education
University of Manchester
Manchester M13 9PL
UK

tel. +44 (0)161- 275 7128
fax +44 (0) 161- 275 3484
E-mail: birgit.pepin at manchester.ac.uk