Jan-Fredrik Olsen, an associate professor of mathematics at Lund University, will give a talk based on his journey into the field of mathematics education research.

Abstract: Transitioning from research in pure mathematics to mathematics education research has been more challenging than I initially expected. Indeed, the very concept of what it means to conduct research, what counts as a finding, and what does it take to build a case for the finding, differs greatly between mathematics and mathematics education. For example, it takes took a long time for me to understand why people write things like "we take an interpretive stance, viewing the analysis of interview data as a co-creation between the interviewer and the subject", or what it means to argue about whether 'the mind' is in the head or whether it is in 'society' (this distinction is at the core of the divide between the so-called constructivist and socio-cultural paradigms of educational science). 

In this talk, I will try to keep both feet on the ground, and offer a mathematician's perspective on what it means (and feels like) to do research in mathematics education, briefly discuss the scope and roles of its methodologies and theories, and approach the very sensitive issue (it turns out) of what constitutes "good" and "bad" research in mathematics education. Moreover, I will try to point to some insights from mathematics education research that I believe can be beneficial to our mathematics department. I will also relate this discussion to my own research interests within the field.

About the speaker: Jan-Fredrik Olsen is a senior lecturer and docent in pure mathematics in Lund who also has a research interest in mathematics education. In the last year, he has pursued a PhD in mathematics education research, focusing on questions regarding the use of programming by mathematicians in their research versus their teaching practices.