Philosophy for Children e argomentazione matematica: un’analisi multimodale in una classe seconda primaria

Argumentation is a fundamental component of mathematical thinking, yet in school practices it does not seem to be given sufficient space, which is instead largely reserved for the memorization of formulas and rules. Through the lenses of Philosophy for Children — that enhances critical, creative and reflective thinking through the creation of a community of inquiry — this paper investigates children’s argumentations in second grade following the resolution of an open problem concerning the cube and its nets. The analysis of the data collected uses a multimodal approach that integrates verbal and non-verbal. The results highlight how gestures, artefacts and interactions are fundamental resources for supporting and expanding children's mathematical thinking in a dialogical context that not only is possible even at this young age and in a mathematical context, but it does also prove to be fruitful.