Journal of the Mathematics Council of the Alberta Teachers’ Association
Volume 43 Issue 2, June 2005
20 – 29
Embodied Mathematics and Education
Elizabeth M. Mowat
Does understanding mathematics involve nothing more than learning symbols, axioms and theorems? For George Lakoff and Rafael Nunez (2000), authors of Where Mathematics Comes From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being, understanding mathematics means comprehending how mechanisms of the brain and mind enable people to reason mathematically. They use results of research in cognitive science to explore how mathematical ideas are possible and why they make sense.
