Introducing teacher students to digital fabrication to support children’s mathematical learning

While digital fabrication has been closely linked to narratives of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and design thinking, it can provide a gateway to reimagining mathematical teaching and deepening the understanding of both mathematical content and pedagogy. In this paper, we present a workshop series that engages teacher students in the creation of their own mathematical manipulatives using digital fabrication tools. Manipulatives are tangible objects that can be used to support children’s learning of mathematical concepts, such as numbers, fractions, or geometry. The workshops included activities for finding, adapting, creating, and sharing manipulatives (FACS) using 2D and 3D modeling and fabrication techniques. Our in-depth analysis of video recordings presents how teacher students successfully acquire digital fabrication skills and reflect on the use of customized manipulatives to support children’s mathematical learning. The findings suggest that introducing digital fabrication in teacher education programs can shift the focus from consuming ready-made manipulatives to creating customized materials that better suit the teaching context. The authors propose FACS as a specific approach for introducing digital fabrication to teacher students.