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Preface
There is no a specific psychology of mathematics, but exist a psychological theory that can give a strong support for the Mathematics Education: the Cognitivist Psychology generally based on the ideas about learning of Piaget, Vygotsky and Papert, only to mention three examples.
No teacher can teach math for the new generations using old methods, because they are habitual users of innovations produced by computers. Particularly in the case of mathematics, one cannot talk about 'teaching', but only in 'learning', and this learning should occur through contact of students with meaningful learning opportunities, i.e., interested participation in performing significant tasks to them.
Meaningful opportunities for learning, according to the age of the students can be presented by the teacher through: (1) games for thought, (2) the use of concrete materials or experimental devices, (3) addressed readings in selected schoolbooks of mathematics either history of mathematics, (4) projects involving mathematical modeling, (5) the solving model problems well chosen in didactical books, taking during resolution, the teacher as the most competent peer, (6) the indication of challenge exercises to be discussed in groups in the classroom, (7) to display of mathematical ideas in electronic devices, and amazingly, (8) even through lectures with a very active participation of students.
My concept of Mathematics Education (in Brazil: Educao Matemtica; in Europe: Didactics of Mathematics and/or Psychology of Mathematics) is the following: Mathematics teachers must have a deep knowledge of the subject and must know to transform this knowledge into meaningful learning opportunities for students. Nobody teaches mathematics to others, they must learn for themselves through the learning opportunities created by educators. Students only learn mathematics effectively when are faced with real learning opportunities. All the learned ideas (concepts included) through these learning opportunities should be perfectly understood, discussed and assimilated significantly by him and his colleagues in a study group. From that, all the new learned ideas should apply to solve new problems, preferably connected to the real world or linked to everyday life, when possible. Teachers should present the Mathematics through a cognitive point of view, that is, by applying concepts of cognitive psychology in everyday classroom full time. I believe and I experienced this through more than 35 years working with Mathematical Education in K-12 and Universities and talking about theories of
Didactics of Mathematics, Mathematical Education and its Learning in schools mathematics should learned by students through a cognitive approach, that is, by applying concepts of Cognitive Psychology in all mathematics lessons all the time.
In this book, we are suggesting and working with Cognitivism, but it is well to remember that there are three basic types and completely different approaches to mathematics education through psychology: Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Humanism. Moreover, we will consider the following: we will include the Gestalt Theory inside the Cognitive Theory, fact that is quite natural for many scholars of this field. When we talk about to present (by teachers or educators) and to learn (by students) mathematical ideas according to cognitivism, would be a great heresy to talk about "TO TEACH" mathematics, in this case we will have to talk about Mathematics Education or the Learning Mathematics or the Psychology of Mathematics, but never "teach mathematics". A teacher do not teaches Mathematics because it is not possible to teach Mathematics, for all students (and for you too) only is possible to discover and self learn the mathematical ideas.
understanding cognition concerns the study of insight (sudden enlightenment or revelation). In Gestalt theory, exactly this kind of sudden illuminations receives the name: insights. The human learning, which most often occurs through problem solving, assumes that this phenomenon (insight/enlightenment/illumination) is not entirely clear to the individual conscience. The phenomenons that accompany the processes of problem solving often occur abruptly in regions not accessible by consciousness. Humans think deliberately and consciously, but the solutions of some problems occur suddenly and inexplicably as coming from somewhere undetectable of their minds. Another issue involved in these processes of problem resolution by humans is that who solves a problem usually does not bother to describe the mental process used to solve it. Some persons are incapable to report on each step considered valid by them involving the resolution and the right response to the problem. Many others will be incapable of describe or report the steps attempted, but abandoned; some of these were discharged because are paths that leads to to a dead end or to a wrong answer.
students themselves. The student knowledge-base must be rebuilt and expanded from stimulations and guidance of the teacher; the teacher will does not directs the learning process, but only organizes lessons, printed papers, and the necessary 'concrete objects' to realize all the works in the classroom, as well as the involved logical procedures or the crucial experimental actions. (2) The non-directive guidance: to guide in a non-directive intervention is to stimulate the processes of intellectual construction taking into account the personality of the individuals, their proposals, their aspirations and their desires and anxieties. The non-directive guidance must integrate the students and the teacher in order to accomplish actions as people committed to the process of growth of the group, without loss of their personalities and their interpersonal discoveries.