Imagination in Mathematics

About the seminar

Traditionally, research in early childhood mathematics education has primarily focused on concepts such as number and measurement, while less attention has been given to space, spatial relationships, and reasoning (McCluskey, et.al, 2023). In addition, the literature seems to lack a focus on deepening mathematics learning in early childhood settings. In the seminar I aim to draw upon the cultural-historical concepts of imagination and play, and the development of motives to explore an innovative mathematical intervention—Fleer’s (2021) Conceptual PlayWorld approach in Mathematics, to illustrate the intentional teaching process of the mathematical concept of directions and spatial reasoning in a classroom of 3-year-olds. The finding suggests that building mathematics narratives through dramatised conceptual problems can develop children’s curiosity and motives in learning about the concept of directions and spatial reasoning in play-based activity settings. Collaboration and imitation, driven through the imagination progressively support children’s concept development, not within a linear model. The collective imagination shared between children and teachers guides the problem-solving process, encouraging exploratory questions that further extend children’s mathematical exploration.