From scribal to digital school, an inspiring journey in mathematics (education)
Résumé
My talk starts with evidence of a complex system of artefacts supporting mathematical practices (teaching and learning) 4000 years ago in scribal schools in Mesopotamia. I will then fast forward to the present and teacher 'orchestrations' in mathematics classrooms, situations where a variety of tools are made available and each student develops these tools into mathematical instruments. This, I hold, is the raison d'être of schools for learning mathematics and I will provide several examples to support this assertion.