An onto-semiotic approach to visualization in mathematics education

Abstract

Visualization is a research field of growing importance in mathematics education. However, the study of their nature and relationship to other forms of information recording and reporting continues to be a subject of reflection. In this article we propose a way of understanding the language and visual thinking, and their relations with the language and analytical thinking, using the theoretical tools of the «onto-semiotic approach» to mathematical knowledge. We will show that the notion of «visual configuration» of objects and processes, in its various contextual forms, allow articulate different perspectives on visualization, to understand its relationships with other analytical forms of expression and to recognize different levels of visualization in mathematical activity.

Keywords

• objeto matemático, visualización, aprendizaje, comprensión, lenguaje y pensamiento analítico.