Dr. Dor Abrahamson

Biography

Dor Abrahamson researches mathematics learning and teaching, developing and evaluating theoretical models and processes that analyze empirical data collected from implementations of innovative pedagogical designs. Drawing on embodiment and sociocultural paradigms, he is particularly interested in modeling how learners coordinate intuitive and formal views in situated phenomena, as well as the roles teachers play in guiding these coordinations. Abrahamson’s analyses of pedagogical interactions focus on the ways students and teachers use informal inference, modalities, media, discursive genres, and semiotic systems. A core component of his practice within the cognitive domain involves re-analyses aimed at creating learning materials and activities. He utilizes traditional media, concrete manipulatives, and recent technologies, including motion sensors, touch screens, agent-based simulations, and artificial intelligence. His work predominantly addresses concepts such as proportion, probability, and algebra, informing the creation of design frameworks. He directs the Embodied Design Research Laboratory (EDRL), where projects typically engage in design-based research with a multi-disciplinary approach, motivated by a desire to enhance children's understanding of mathematics. EDRL team members create activities involving mixed-media materials that are engineered, constructed, and refined based on empirical studies.

Research Interests