Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The proposed paper will present some initial findings from a three-year project that is exploring numeracy and mathematical understanding in a number of trades training programs. In this paper, we focus specifically on a pre-apprentice level pipes-trade trainee, John, as he engages with a pipe fitting problem. We explore John’s growth of understanding of the mathematics involved in the task and the ways in which he brings his existing images and understandings for fractions, measurement, and number operations to the new task. We contend that while these mathematical concepts are appropriate to the task, a learner’s images for them can act to hinder the solution process if they are limited or incomplete.