Rationale
Broadly defined, a mathematical connection is a relationship between two or more mathematical ideas. Two typologies of connections are identified in the literature in this field: intra-mathematical connections and extra-mathematical connections. While extra-mathematical connections are established between mathematical concepts or models and problems in non-mathematical contexts, or vice versa, intra-mathematical connections (the focus of this Special Issue) are formed between ideas, concepts, theorems, procedures, or representations in mathematics. As a result of making mathematical connections students develop key competencies. Students, for instance:
- link conceptual and procedural knowledge;
- recognise equivalent representations of the same concept;
- use the connections across mathematical topics and see mathematics as an integrated whole; and
- apply mathematical modelling to solve problems that arise in other disciplines (from Coxford, 1995).
The focus of this RME Special Issue is on intra-mathematical connections formed between ideas, concepts, theorems, procedures, or representations within mathematics. Research suggests that making such connections within mathematics supports student learning, and many national curricula, including the USA, Australia, and England, emphasise the value of mathematical connections. Despite these acknowledgments, there is a need to understand more fully the connections students make; how connections are used in the classroom to support students’ learning; and how teachers recognise connections as an aspect of pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).
Topics of interest
We welcome contributions from a wide range of mathematical topics, from different research and theoretical perspectives and from a range of contexts such as school sectors (K to 12) and higher education. Contributions might relate but are not limited to:
- The types of connections made and how they are attained (e.g., connections between conceptual and procedural knowledge or between materials, representations, and images).
- The use of physical and/or digital representations.
- Teacher and pre-service teacher pedagogical content knowledge.
- Learning experiences of students.
- Teaching practices and classroom-based research.
- Theoretical perspectives (e.g., sociocultural, dialogic, embodied cognition).
