Coding or programming is ubiquitous across the world. But what coding means, how it is learned and developed and how it is exploited as a tool to explore topics in different subject areas varies enormously across jurisdictions: for example, coding can be introduced and developed as part of a school computing curriculum, as part of the school mathematics curriculum or more informally within out-of-school clubs. These different structural organisations inevitably serve to define what happens in practice in schools, shapes how students develop coding skills and learn key coding concepts, informs how teaching might be enhanced through coding, and ultimately how coding might be exploited outside of computing as a tool to think with and explore mathematics.

This panel will touch on some of these issues with a particular focus on the interactions between mathematics and coding in practice. The discussion will aim to tease out the challenges, risks, and opportunities of integrating coding into mathematics classrooms while addressing questions such as: Why should coding be incorporated in mathematics classrooms? What is the specificity of coding in mathematics and the links between coding and mathematics? What can coding bring to mathematics in terms of new content or new ways to support mathematics teaching and improve learning? Which mathematical topics are most aligned to the incorporation of coding and why? What are the links between coding and algorithmics, applied mathematics, and reasoning?

The panel will comprise a chair and four invited panelists from four different countries with different curricular structures.

Bios

Professor Dame Celia Hoyles, D.B.E, O.B.E, PhD, M.Ed, BSc. (Hons), CMath, Professor of Mathematics Education at the UCL Institute of Education, University College London, UK.

I aim to use digital technology to open access to mathematics and have researched ways to do this in different contexts.

I was first recipient of the International Commission of Mathematics Instruction (ICMI) Hans Freudenthal medal in 2004, the Royal Society Kavli Education Medal in 2011 and the Suffrage Science award for Communications in 2016.

I was the UK Government’s Chief Adviser for mathematics (2004- 07), and the Director of the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (2007-13). I have given many keynotes with notable examples: to the 16th International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (PME 16) in 1992, and to the International Congress on Mathematical Education, (ICME, 11), Monterrey, Mexico in 2008.

I was President of the Learned Society, Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) (2014-15). I was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2004 and a Dame Commander in 2014.

George Gadanidis is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Western University. He works in mathematics education with interest in mathematical wonder and storytelling (a.k.a., inspiring answers to “What did you do in math today?”) and computational modelling of mathematical concepts and relationships. More on his work at imaginethis.ca.

Oh Nam Kwon is a Professor of Mathematics Education at Seoul National University. Her earlier professional appointments include Assistant Professor and Associate Professor of Department of Mathematics Education at Ewha Womans. She has been involved in more than 30 grants as Principal Investigator and Collaborator. She is in Editorial Board for book series “Advances in Mathematics Education” by Springer. She has served as committee member for numerous international (including International Programme Committee of ICME-12) and Korean organizations of mathematics education. She has served as National Committee of Korean Institute of Curriculum and Evaluation. She is a member of OECD/PISA MEG (Mathematics Expert Group) She received the Best Teaching Awards, Seoul National University in 2009. She has served the jury for Mathematics Planet Earth 2013 Virtual Modules Competition and the committee member for Leelavati Prize 2014. She received the 2021 Svend Pedersen Lecture Award Awards, Stockholm University. Her research interests include curriculum development, teaching and learning of collegiate mathematics, and inquiry-oriented teaching.

Simon Modeste is an Assistant Professor at the University of Montpellier, in the laboratory IMAG, in the team DEMa – Didactics and Epistemology of Mathematics. He got his PhD in 2012 from the University of Grenoble, dealing with the teaching and learning of algorithmics in mathematics in the French High School. His research interests are principally in didactics and epistemology of mathematics, of computer science and of their interactions. He also works in the training of secondary school teachers of mathematics and computer science.

Elena Prieto-Rodriguez is an Associate Professor in Mathematics Education at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She holds a Bachelor degree in Mathematics and a PhD in Theoretical Computer Science. From 2005, she has worked extensively in STEM education, including several large-scale research projects amounting to over $15M in funding. She is currently engaged in research focused on the use of technology for the learning of mathematics and teacher training and professional development. From 2017 to 2021 she conducted several projects focusing on the effect of ScratchMaths in teachers and students, and found both deep engagement from students and strong commitment to the integration of programming into mathematics by teachers. She also identified the need for explicit connections to coding within the Australian mathematics curriculum and her future research will focus on this topic.