Thinking Numbers, Thinking Machines: Mathematical Learning and Cognition in the GenAI Age

Editors: Adam Dubé (McGill), Katherine M. Robinson (Regina), Donna Kotsopoulos (Western)

Book Editor: Springer

In 2023, Katherine Robinson (Regina), Donna Kotsopoulos (Western), and Adam Dubé (McGill) published two well-received books mathematical learning in elementary and middle school education with Springer Nature. The titles of the books are “Mathematical cognition and understanding: Perspectives on mathematical minds in the elementary and middle school years” and “Mathematical teaching and learning: Perspectives on mathematical minds in the elementary and middle school years”; they are available at https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-29195-1 and https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-31848-1

Springer has invited us to submit a proposal for a new book, this time exploring mathematical teaching/learning and cognition in the digital age with a focus on the impact of Artificial Intelligence (both generative and not) across K-12. We welcome interdisciplinary perspectives including education, developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and neuroscience. Like the other books, authors are asked to explicitly link psychology and education. 

We are seeking expressions of interest for chapters examining mathematical learning and cognition in middle childhood and adolescence with a focus on AI. We also welcome broader explorations of how mathematics is shaped by digital technologies, social contexts, and cognitive development in the modern era. The book takes a critical stance on the role of digital technologies in mathematics education, interrogating its efficacy, equity, and practicality.

Potential themes include (but are not limited to):

1. AI and mathematical cognition – opportunities, challenges, and new modes of engagement

2. Technology and mathematical minds – from digital games to adaptive tutoring systems and AI

4.Pedagogy and instruction and AI – how teaching practices adapt in technology-rich and AI-augmented classrooms

5.Neuroscientific and cognitive bases and AI – brain, cognition, and emotion in the development of number and mathematics skills

6.Ethical, social, and equity considerations – access, fairness, and the broader impact of AI and digital tools in mathematics education