Rethinking reflectional symmetry through Beebots

In this paper we propose an approach to reflectional symmetry that uses symmetric synchronic movements of two Bee-Bots as a way of experiencing dynamic and functional aspects of symmetric relationships. Drawing on Barad’s agential realism, we investigate how the use of the two robots opens up new ways of thinking about the concept of symmetry. We present and analyse some episodes coming from a teaching experiment that involved a class of grade-4 students to highlight their entanglement with the mathematical concept and the different characterizations of reflectional symmetry that emerge through their gestures and speech.