RUME 25
2023
Omaha, Nebraska
Modeling Mathematicians’ Playful Engagement in Task-Based Clinical Interviews
Page: 99
Theoretical accounts of mathematicians’ disciplinary practice draw similarities to mathematical play, in that it can entail agency and autonomy, open exploration, creativity, imagination, and enjoyment. We analyzed task-based clinical interviews of 13 mathematicians to determine whether their problem-solving activity was playful and found evidence of three aspects of playful math: agency in exploration or goal accomplishment, self-selection of mathematical goals, and a state of immersion, investment, or enjoyment. We present these findings and introduce a form of problem-solving activity, the Explore-Focus Cycle, as one characteristic of playful math.