The Influence of Socio-Cultural Practices on Mathematical Cognition

Authors

  • Gunawardena Egodawatte OISE/University of Toronto

Keywords:

Cognition, Math Education, Psychology

Abstract

Defining the constructs of cognition and culture as entirely independent of one another, one located in the individual and the other in the environment, is naïve. To understand educational activities, we must study them as they are imbedded in culture. Mathematics learning is no exception and it is also influenced by socio–cultural factors. In this paper, I hold onto this socio–cultural view of cognition and strive to understand the interplay between social, cultural, and historical elements and their attachment to cognitive development processes of mathematical understanding by examining several empirical studies. In the conclusion, I challenge the notion that fixed mathematical knowledge is contained in a pre–structured environment independent of individual and collective human activity. Then, I demonstrate some important characteristics that can be drawn from informal settings and applied to formal learning situations.

Author Biography

Gunawardena Egodawatte, OISE/University of Toronto

Third year PHD student, CTL

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Published

2012-03-31

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2012)

Section

Literature Review/Revue de la documentation

License

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