Starkey Duncan Alumni Lecture
This past Autumn marks the third annual Starkey Duncan Alumni Lecture. A generous gift from the Duncan family made it possible for us to invite Martha W. Alibali, who received her PhD from the Department in 1991 and is now a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, to give a talk. In her talk, entitled Understanding Change in Mathematical Thinking: A Perception-Action Perspective, Dr. Alibali discussed how a focus on perception and action can enrich conceptions of mathematical thinking, learning, and instruction. Alibali considered the learners' perception of mathematics problems and how perceptual encoding guides problem-solving actions and strategy generation. She went on to consider the role of physical actions in mathematical thinking. Finally, she discussed how mathematics instruction guides learners' perceptions of mathematical problems and mathematical actions. Following the talk, the Dr. Alibali and lecture attendees gathered for a lively discussion and refreshments in the Social Sciences Tea Room.