How can corporeality be involved in learning mathematics? Some references and two examples

Abstract

Despite the formal and abstract nature that characterises mathematics since antique Greece, the work of mathematicians is not deprived of sensitive experiences involving the body that nourish their imagination. Thus, in the learning of geometry, the relation to the external world through the body is an important element of spatial experiences, in particular with very young students. In this paper, we tackle this issue through a situation of spatial localisation in kindergarten. Furthermore, we show how body and movement in association with the notion of half-turn may be essential components of negative numbers conceptualisation, and might help understanding addition and subtraction rules.