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Rhythmic movement as a tacit enactment goal mobilizes the emergence of mathematical structures

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Abstract

This article concerns the purpose, function, and mechanisms of students’ rhythmic behaviors as they solve embodied-interaction problems, specifically problems that require assimilating quantitative information structures embedded into the environment. Analyzing multimodal data of one student tackling a bimanual interaction design for proportion, we observed the (1) evolution of coordinated movements with stable temporal–spatial qualities; (2) breakdown of this proto-rhythmic form when it failed to generalize across the problem space; (3) utilization of available resources to obtain greater specificity by way of measuring spatial spans of movements; (4) determination of an arithmetic pattern governing the sequence of spatial spans; and (5) creation of a meta-rhythmic form that reconciles continuous movement with the arithmetic pattern. The latter reconciliation selectively retired, modified, and recombined features of her previous form. Rhythmic enactment, even where it is not functionally imperative, appears to constitute a tacit adaptation goal. Its breakdown reveals latent phenomenal properties of the environment, creating opportunities for quantitative reasoning, ultimately supporting the learning of curricular content.

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Notes

  1. The interviewer’s question could have been interpreted as relating to a global enactment of continuous movement, yet K responded to the question by initiating local subtasks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shaanan Academic Religious Teachers’ College, Haifa, Israel

    Alik Palatnik

  2. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Dor Abrahamson

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  1. Alik Palatnik
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  2. Dor Abrahamson
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Correspondence to Alik Palatnik.

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The research program was approved by and strictly complied with the university’s Internal Review Board stipulations.

The research goals were explained to the participants verbally and in printed form. Informed consent was obtained in advance of meetings.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Palatnik, A., Abrahamson, D. Rhythmic movement as a tacit enactment goal mobilizes the emergence of mathematical structures. Educ Stud Math 99, 293–309 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10649-018-9845-0

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