Computational thinking and experiences of aritimetic

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss how students experienced number while learning to program their robot to move. First, we will provide overview of the context and the research by describing a task used to develop conceptions of “number.” Then, we will introduce two discourses from the cognitive sciences that orient the work: Conceptual Metaphor Theory (Lakoff & Nuñez, 2000) and Conceptual Blending Theory (Fauconnier & Turner, 2003). Finally, we will analyze an interaction among two students and their teacher as they tacitly negotiate meanings of number that are appropriate to the task of programming their robot to move forward 100 cm. Our analysis suggests that computational settings may afford rich settings for experiencing and blending distinct instantiations of a range of number concepts in manners that support flexible and transferable understandings.