The role of the stage presence in teaching math

During the winter semester 2014-2015 at the Department of Education of Roma Tre University took place a workshop about math teacher’s stage presence. The workshop developed the concept behind a pilot lesson held in November 2013 (Neri Macchiavena 2014) and work on mimesis in children maths education (Rachele 2013). Our aim was to cope with the communication challenge inherent to mathematics learning and teaching, including language challenge and the gesture beyond it, but more generally the expression challenge and the embodying of mathematical ideas. The research in 20th century theatre and dance inspired us rather than quantitative instruments from psychology or linguistics and rhetoric. Theory references which inspired the practice are described, both in theatre and performing training (Laban, 1948, 1971, Dalcroze 1921, Barba 1991, Scaramuzzo 2010, 2013) and in mathematics education (Enriques 1938, Polya 1945); the exercises and main findings are discussed.