The Implications of Embodiment for Mathematics and Computing Education

This symposium is a venue for discussing the implications of embodied cognition research for mathematics and computing education. Our goal is to bring five themes together that we think are complementary in understanding what embodiment holds for math and computing education: (1) Empirical studies: Behavioral, neuroscience, and neuropsychological work on sensorimotor groundings of higher-cognition, (2) The impact of perspectives in embodied cognition on a philosophy of mathematics, (3) Embodied interaction & ubiquitous computing: Recent trends in human-computer interaction that propose physical and social embedding in the world as basis for interaction, (4) Embodied interaction and the arts: Trends in aesthetic computing that result in crafting artistically-derived notations and representations of mathematics and computing, and (5) Embodied learning: Wide range of approaches in education that view bodily involvement as a crucial aspect of the learning process. By accounting for work in these five areas we will bridge empirical and philosophical studies on embodiment with learning and communication design work. Our goal is to present a comprehensive story of embodiment of mathematical cognition by covering and relating multiple levels, from sensorimotor neural circuits that support mathematical cognition to technological external representations that facilitate learning of mathematical concepts and ideas.