Authors: Melissa Sommerfeld Gresalfi
Publish Date: 2015/04/14
Volume: 47, Issue: 6, Pages: 933-946
Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to describe a trajectory of designing for particular forms of engagement with mathematics The forms of engagement that were targeted through these design experiments involved making intentional choices about which procedures to leverage in order to support particular claims what I call critical engagement In particular this paper presents two rounds of a design cycle of a statistics unit created in the context of an online interactive videogame called Quest Atlantis Examining the design history of the unit this paper demonstrates how iterative refinements of the unit supported increasing critical engagement with the content and specifically the importance of fostering both intentionality and experiences of consequentiality in the designs Finally the paper considers the implications of the lessons learned for this targeted intervention for our understanding of how elements of design support students’ mathematical reasoning more generallyThe research discussed in this paper was supported by the National Science Foundation Grant DRL0738247 and the John D and Catherine T MacArthur Foundation Grant 0688658000HCD Thanks to Sasha Barab Ed Gentry and Adam IngramGoble for their help in designing and refining this game and the ideas that supported it and to Paul Cobb Rich Lehrer and Leona Schauble for the statistical activities that inspired this game
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