Entrance slip: Ancestral genres of graphs

I found one of the main claims of the paper that “mathematics as a human activity and mode of thought, intimately bound up with the physical world and human cultures” (p. 19) very reasonable and interesting. I think that one method that math teachers can use to help learning math a fun and enjoyable experience for their students is to tell them about the historical and cultural contexts in which the mathematical questions and concepts are originated.

I first stopped when I read  “Quite consistently, those students who placed the x-axis low with reference to their bodies, who kept the gestured graph “within reach,” and who described themselves as “being (in) the graph”, were the ones who had been rated by their teachers as showing in-depth understanding of mathematics.” (p. 14). I found this observation and the distinction between ‘being the graph’ and ‘seeing the graph’ very interesting. I’d like to know more about the study and look forward to reading the forthcoming paper.

Another thing that made me stop was the point that “This physical, horizontal grid, which was now thought of as extending continuously to the horizon, was intimately connected with the expansionist, colonialist program initiated in 15th century Renaissance Europe.”(p. 17). I wish this point were explained in more detail and were elaborated. I’d like to hear more about the relation between the practical use (surveying) and the value-laden evaluation of the tool used.

Lastly, I found the table at bottom of page 18 very helpful. It makes the connection argued for clear and convincing.