Brown Bag Presentation:Dr. Nicole Panorkou, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, Friday Institute, NCSU
Synopsis: This study explored the experiences of dimension among young school children. Based on study of existing literature, Dr. Panorkou developed a phenomenographic study of students’ experience of dimension. Phenomenography is a research approach that aims to describe, analyze and understand (1) various aspects of the world and (2) the way people interpret and experience those aspects. Phenomenography is designed to explore the understanding of learning content as well as how individuals perceive learning in different situations. Marton (1992) referred to the methodology as a study of the interaction between an individual and a phenomenon through experience, arguing that human learning results from the alteration of understanding as the result of the experience. Meanings of dimension were generated from 24 students in four problem contexts (situations). Data were collected using clinical interviews accompanied with the design of tasks using the software Elica, physical objects, the film Flatland, and the software Google SketchUp, in each of the situations, respectively. The meanings generated from the first three situations were compared and grouped into theme categories. The aim of the fourth situation was to design an environment in which we might witness experiences of dimension not observed before, by building on preceding research on how modeling can foster the utility of mathematical concepts.
SketchUp and its dimensional tools helped the students to form situated experiences about mathematical ideas relating to vectors and capacity. Dimensional experience was categorized as Dimension as Action, Dimension as Material, Dimension as Vector, and Dimension as Capacity. An analysis of the relationship among the categories pointed to the duality of the passive or the dynamic way of experiencing dimension as well as looking within and between dimensions. Conclusively, an examination of four situations provided insight into what makes a situation an expressive window (Noss & Hoyles, 1996) both for the student as a means of ‘seeing’ the phenomenon of dimension and for the researcher to ‘see’ how the student experiences that phenomenon.
Our Speaker: Dr. Nicole Panorkou is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Friday Institute this fall semester, with her work supported by the Fulbright Commission of Cyprus. She has joined Dr. Jere Confrey and Dr. Alan Maloney and the GISMO group to work on the Graphs ‘n Glyphs and DELTA/LPPSync projects. A native of Limassol, Cyprus, she obtained a bachelor degree in Educational Sciences (Primary education) from the University of Cyprus in 2005, and was an elementary teacher for several years. She has worked as a facilitator in modules of both mathematics education and research methodologies and was employed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus since 2006 in elementary education. She resumed her academic studies at Warwick University in England, completing an MSc in Mathematics Education. She has recently completed her PhD in Education at the Institute of Education (University of London). Her thesis supervisor was Professor Dave Pratt, with examining professors Richard Noss (Institute of Education, University of London) and John Mason (Open University). Dr. Panorkou’s thesis research was a phenomenographic study of students’ experiences of dimension. Her long-term research interests focus on the ways that technology and modeling can foster the utility of mathematical concepts.
SketchUp and its dimensional tools helped the students to form situated experiences about mathematical ideas relating to vectors and capacity. Dimensional experience was categorized as Dimension as Action, Dimension as Material, Dimension as Vector, and Dimension as Capacity. An analysis of the relationship among the categories pointed to the duality of the passive or the dynamic way of experiencing dimension as well as looking within and between dimensions. Conclusively, an examination of four situations provided insight into what makes a situation an expressive window (Noss & Hoyles, 1996) both for the student as a means of ‘seeing’ the phenomenon of dimension and for the researcher to ‘see’ how the student experiences that phenomenon.
Our Speaker: Dr. Nicole Panorkou is a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at the Friday Institute this fall semester, with her work supported by the Fulbright Commission of Cyprus. She has joined Dr. Jere Confrey and Dr. Alan Maloney and the GISMO group to work on the Graphs ‘n Glyphs and DELTA/LPPSync projects. A native of Limassol, Cyprus, she obtained a bachelor degree in Educational Sciences (Primary education) from the University of Cyprus in 2005, and was an elementary teacher for several years. She has worked as a facilitator in modules of both mathematics education and research methodologies and was employed by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Cyprus since 2006 in elementary education. She resumed her academic studies at Warwick University in England, completing an MSc in Mathematics Education. She has recently completed her PhD in Education at the Institute of Education (University of London). Her thesis supervisor was Professor Dave Pratt, with examining professors Richard Noss (Institute of Education, University of London) and John Mason (Open University). Dr. Panorkou’s thesis research was a phenomenographic study of students’ experiences of dimension. Her long-term research interests focus on the ways that technology and modeling can foster the utility of mathematical concepts.