ERIC Number: EJ1121421
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0228-0671
EISSN: N/A
Mathematical Foresight: Thinking in the Future to Work in the Present
Maciejewski, Wes; Barton, Bill
For the Learning of Mathematics, v36 n3 p25-30 2016
Originating from interviews with mathematics colleagues, written accounts of mathematicians engaging with mathematics, and Wes's reflections on his own mathematical work, we describe a process that we call mathematical foresight: the imagining of a resolution to a mathematical situation and a path to that resolution. In a sense, mathematical foresight is the process of imagining a not-yet-experienced mathematical event--the solution to a problem solving scenario, or the creation of a mathematical model for a biological system, for examples that could occur in the future. This future thinking process guides the mathematician's present mathematical activity, motivates them, and bolsters persistence.
Descriptors: Mathematics Education, Mathematical Logic, Problem Solving, Imagination, Mathematical Models, Thinking Skills, Mathematics Activities, Motivation, Persistence, Interviews
FLM Publishing Association. 382 Education South, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2G5, Canada. e-mail: flm2@ualberta.ca; Web site: http://flm.educ.ualberta.ca
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A