Knowing as Remembering: Methodological Experiments in Embodied Experiences of Number

A premise of this article is that the current methods used in mathematics education research may be preventing researchers from adequately addressing the body and, in particular, the alignment of acting and knowing. Pursuing a non-dualistic and non-hierarchical approach to learning and knowing, I experiment with new methods that aim to increase situated and embodied validity. I do so through a short video clip of a four-year-old child interacting with TouchCounts, which is a multi-touch application designed to support early number sense. I work through the many arm, hand and finger actions made by the child, both manually on the screen and digitally in the air, focusing on the translations of these actions across contexts, which I understand as learning through remembering. I then discuss some consequences of these methods, which involve narrative and re-enactment, on knowledge production, both for learners and for researchers, specifically when digital technologies are involved.