Attività matematiche laboratoriali che prevedono un coinvolgimento percettivo- motorio degli studenti. Dalla ricerca alla scuola.

On the one hand, the role of the body and movement in learning mathematics and, on the other, instructional strategies implicating active and experiential student involvement are central themes in mathematics education research. Furthermore, they have recently gained new strength due to findings and theories developed in cognitive psychology and neuroscience. However, it is complex to understand the extent to which these perspectives have penetrated the school contexts, which are often rooted in transmissive teaching. The research presented is an exploratory mixed-method study focused on active, bodily experience learning activities. Such activities may involve manipulatives or tools (physical or virtual) as well as the simple student’s whole body or hand movements to explore mathematics. The study, carried out in two different cultural contexts, Italy and Australia, involves researchers in mathematics education and primary and secondary school teachers to compare and contrast the research results, guidelines, and school realities, investigating possible reasons for the gap between research findings and teaching practice. Teachers were directly involved in an online questionnaire and follow-up interviews. Previously, to gain insights on the key elements of the teacher survey, interviews with experts completed the study of the relevant literature and the analysis of curricular documents and educational policies aimed at identifying official guidance concerning the specific object of interest.