PROCEEDINGS OF THE 19TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2016
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Symbolizing and brokering in an inquiry oriented linear algebra classroom
Page: 1475
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of symbolizing and brokering in fostering classroom inquiry. We characterize inquiry both as student inquiry into the mathematics and instructor’s inquiry into the students’ mathematics. Disciplinary practices of mathematics are the ways that mathematicians go about their profession and include practices such as conjecturing, defining, symbolizing, and algorithmatizing. In this paper we present examples of students and their instructor engaging in the practice of symbolizing in four ways. We integrate this analysis with details regarding how the instructor serves as a broker between the classroom community and the broader mathematical community.