Osama Swidan is a researcher in mathematics education at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. His research focuses on understanding how learners and teachers engage with mathematics in technology-rich environments and how emerging digital technologies reshape mathematical thinking, teaching, and learning. Drawing on qualitative, multimodal, and design-based research approaches, he investigates the cognitive, social, embodied, and affective dimensions of mathematical activity across a wide range of educational settings.
A central theme of his work is the relationship between technology and mathematical reasoning. His studies examine how tools such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, dynamic mathematical software, eye-tracking technologies, and interactive digital environments influence students’ problem-solving processes, conceptual understanding, and participation in mathematical practices. He is particularly interested in how these technologies create new opportunities for learning while also transforming the nature of mathematical activity and classroom interaction.
His research also explores teachers’ professional knowledge and decision-making in technology-mediated contexts. Recent projects investigate how mathematics teachers interpret and evaluate AI-generated mathematical responses, how teachers integrate generative artificial intelligence into instructional design, and how AI-based systems can support teachers’ awareness of students’ learning processes and emotional engagement during classroom activity.
Beyond empirical investigations, his work contributes to the development of theoretical perspectives for understanding learning in contemporary educational environments. By bringing together insights from mathematics education, learning sciences, human-computer interaction, and artificial intelligence, he seeks to advance knowledge about how technology can support meaningful mathematical learning and how educational systems can respond to rapidly evolving digital landscapes.
His overarching goal is to understand how humans think mathematically in an increasingly technological world and to develop educational approaches that enable learners and teachers to engage critically, creatively, and thoughtfully with both mathematics and emerging technologies.
