Theories, context and values to understand learningrnwith digital media: book review of ‘humans-with-mediarnand the reorganization of mathematical thinking’,rnby M. Borba and M. Villareal

摘要

This book discusses an interesting approach to the study ofrnstudent collectives learning mathematics with the use ofrndigital media. The study is based on empirical evidencerngathered by a research group at GPIMEM since 1993 andrnelaborates on a set of courses of mathematics for biologyrnmajors in Brazil and pre-service mathematics teachers inrnArgentina. The approach is based on the premise thatrndigital media is a technology of intelligence with whichrnpeople collectively think, communicate and learn. Thernauthors emphasize that in studying mathematical learning,rnrather than perceiving mathematics as an unquestionablernrigid body of knowledge, it makes more sense to perceiverncollectives of humans with media (amongst which arerndigital media) continually reorganizing the ways in whichrnthey generate mathematical meanings. In this sense, thernauthors move away from techno-centric approaches ofrnwhat effects media may have on learning, from individu-rnalistic approaches studying the thinking of individualsrnwithin collectives where media is used and from interac-rntionist approaches aiming to discriminate the effects ofrnmedia on humans and vice-versa.