Inclusive design for expansive theory: what we learn as researchers and teachers when we develop educational resources for diverse students in mathematics
摘要
Equity in mathematics education is increasingly understood as meaningful participation in mathematical activity rather than mere access to curricular representations. Yet dominant inclusive frameworks often emphasize flexibility of access while paying less attention to the embodied, sensory, and interactional processes through which mathematical meaning emerges. This article advances Special Education Embodied Design (SpEED) as a framework for Inclusive Design for Expansive Theory, integrating embodied cognition, ecological dynamics, and participatory perspectives to examine how mathematical practices can be redesigned around epistemic diversity. Using a Design-Based Research methodology, we analyze three cases of embodied mathematics learning: (1) immersive virtual reality with students with specific learning difficulties in mathematics, (2) 3D-pen fabrication activities with students diagnosed with ADHD, and (3) a haptic–auditory mechatronic device (Quad) supporting blind students’ exploration of quadrilaterals. Data included video recordings, interactional transcripts, interviews, field notes, and student-produced artifacts collected across iterative design cycles. Across the cases, we observed how mathematical understanding emerged through the coordination of perception, action, material artifacts, and social interaction. The findings provide illustrative evidence that embodied technologies can function as epistemic mediators, supporting learners in stabilizing mathematical invariants such as volume, congruence, symmetry, parallelism, and perimeter through multimodal engagement. Rather than treating sensory and attentional differences as barriers, the designs leveraged them as resources for mathematical sense-making. The study suggests that equity involves creating opportunities for diverse learners to participate as epistemic agents in the production of mathematical meaning. By examining how mathematical activity can be reorganized through embodied and technology-mediated interaction, the article contributes to current debates on inclusion and equity, arguing that designing for sensory and bodily diversity may expand what counts as legitimate mathematical knowing and doing.