I am interested in the cognitive skills that constitute mathematical thinking, drawing primarily on the paradigm of embodied cognition.
Contact: julien.putz < at > berkeley < dot > edu
About Me: I am a PhD student in the Graduate Group of Science and Mathematics Education (SESAME) at UC Berkeley, with a Designated Emphasis in Cognitive Science. I investigate how people learn and do mathematics in both traditional and digital environments, drawing on the paradigm of embodied cognition. My work leverages micro-phenomenology, eye-tracking, and design-based research methods. I am originally from Luxembourg but received my undergraduate education at the University of Glasgow in Mathematics and Theater Studies. My honors thesis explored the role of “theatrical” elements such as narrative and multimodality within the domain of mathematics, which motivated my current interests kinaesthetic and perceptual aspects of mathematical thinking and learning. Then, in August 2020, I received a Master in Mathematics from the University of Luxembourg, where I specialized in industrial mathematics.
Research interests: mathematics education, mathematical cognition, diagrammatic reasoning, embodied cognition, enactivism, first-person research, (micro-) phenomenology, eye-tracking, design-based research.
Hobbies: climbing, theater, aerial acrobatics, (trail-) running, (audio-) books, plant-based cooking.
Select Publications and Presentations:
Putz, J. (2024, October). A micro-phenomenological approach to the study of diagrammatic reasoning. Oral presentation at the Mind & Life Europe – ICP workshop, Le Reposoir.
Putz, J. (in press). A micro-phenomenological approach to the study of diagrammatic reasoning. To appear in Proceedings of the 15th International Congress on Mathematical Education. Sydney: ICME.
Putz, J. (2024, April). Negotiating first-person and third-person perspectives in micro-phenomenological research on diagrammatic reasoning. In D. Abrahamson (Chair) & S. Gerofsky (Discussant), In-sight out: Challenges and opportunities in learning mathematics through negotiating egocentric and allocentric perspectives. Symposium presented for the SIG Research in Mathematics Education at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, April 11–14.
Putz, J. (2022, April). A micro-phenomenological approach to the study of mathematical problem solving. Poster prepared for Research Day, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.
Putz, J. (2021, April). Linear algebra conceptions as movement and perception in motor-control tasks. Poster prepared for Research Day, Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley.
Teaching:
Teaching Assistant, Educ 130: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science (with Michelle Wilkerson), UC Berkeley, Fall 2024
Teaching Assistant, Educ 130: Knowing and Learning in Mathematics and Science (with Sarah Pedemonte), UC Berkeley, Spring 2024
Graduate Student Instructor, Data 144/Educ 244: Data Mining and Analytics (with Zacharay Pardos), UC Berkeley, Fall 2023
Graduate Student Instructor, Math 1B: Calculus II (with Zvezdelina Stankova), UC Berkeley, Spring 2023
Teaching Assistant, Micro-Phenomenology Program (with Claire Petitmengin), online course, Fall 2022
Graduate Student Instructor, Cognitive Science 1: Introduction to Cognitive Science (with Paul Li), UC Berkeley, Spring 2022