Photography as a tool to capture outdoor math: an experience with elementary preservice teachers

Abstract

The literature mentions that taking pictures outdoors motivates students for mathematical learning and understanding. However, we do not yet have enough knowledge about how future teachers create mathematical tasks in real-life contexts. This paper, that is part of a broader project centered on active learning of mathematics outside the classroom, describes a study where elementary preservice teachers capture photos in the environment that allow task design. In particular, we want to identify which aspects of the environment were privileged by the future teachers’ mathematical eye to support task design and to understand what are their main difficulties when designing mathematical tasks. Results suggest that the participants chose photos privileging elements related with buildings, which mobilized Geometry and Measurement contents. Participants stated that the use of photography had a positive impact on them, providing them with a more conscious and “closer look” at everyday objects, developing their “math eye”, although they expressed that designing high cognitive level tasks is difficult.