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http://dx.doi.org/10.7468/jksmed.2012.16.1.079

The Mediation of Embodied Symbol on Combinatorial Thinking  

Cho, Han-Hyuk (Department of Mathematics Education, Seoul National University)
Lee, Ji-Yoon (Department of Mathematics Education, Seoul National University)
Lee, Hyo-Myung (Department of Mathematics Education, Seoul National University)
Publication Information
Research in Mathematical Education / v.16, no.1, 2012 , pp. 79-90 More about this Journal
Abstract
This research investigated if the embodied symbol using a turtle metaphor in a microworld environment works as a cognitive tool to mediate the learning of combinatorics. It was found that students were able to not only count the number of cases systematically by using the embodied symbols in a situated problem regarding Permutation and Combination, but also find the rules and infer a concept of Combination through the activities manipulating the symbols. Therefore, we concluded that the embodied symbol, as a bridge that connects learners' concrete experiences with abstract mathematical concepts, can be applied to introduction of various mathematical concepts as well as a combinatorics concept.
Keywords
combinatorics; embodied; symbols; mediation; bridge; microworld;
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