Developing our mini-mathematical community. Professional reading.

Teacher entry

Notes and reflection on professional reading

BES Exemplar 1 Nga Kete Raukura – He Tauira 1 Developing communities of mathematical inquiry.

(see below for reference)

What it is all about...

This exemplar describes how two teachers worked to develop classroom learning communities in which students learned to engage with the teacher and each other in mathematical inquiry, reasoning, and argumentation. It traces significant changes in teacher knowledge and pedagogy and in student behaviour and mathematical practices through a collaborative, school-based, professional learning process.

Notes from the reading that pertain to my inquiry question; Will a focus on my deliberate acts of teaching enhance student discourse?

Outcomes Focus

The teachers aimed to develop their students’ abilities to explain mathematical concepts, justify their arguments, and make generalisations.
Each student had high expectations for their own outcomes.
The teachers' became adept at recognising and addressing barriers to learning and remained OUTCOMES FOCUSSED.

Teacher knowledge and Inquiry

Filming yourself teaching and critically analysing this - a way to identify points to change.
A way to identify who is doing the talking?

Opportunity

Opportunity to learn is effective and efficient.
Ensuring that they resolve cognitive conflicts through peer interaction.
Opportunities for practice and application
They used MIXED-ABILITY groups rather than fixed ability groups.

Caring and inclusive learning communities

Create 'rules-for-talk' guidelines and review them at the beginning of each session.
Used collective first person pronouns - Show US how you worked that out...
DISPUTATIONAL TALK - Assertions and counter assertions that go unexamined - members just defending their ideas.
CUMULATIVE TALK - Members avoid questions and arguments by building on each others thinking. Students come to a collective view but it is not evaluated.
MATHEMATICAL REASONING - listen, discuss and question to make sense of the reasoning used by OTHERS.
Use modelling to scaffold students into how to construct mathematical explanations.

Building the students’ capacities to act as a learning community is not a prelude to the mathematical work but is integral to developing mathematical discourse.

Use 'think time' as a form of social nurturing for less confident members.
Are my groupings right? Can these 9 students work together/are comfortable together?

Reflection

Although I read Best Evidence Synthesis as a student teacher reading this Exempla has given me the words and possible ways forward which before now only existed as 'gut feelings' and 'guesses' for what might work for my ALiM group. I can clearly see the importance of the development of the learning community in order to enhance mathematical discourse. As soon as the withdrawal groups begin I will ensure that I film the sessions so that myself and my tutor teacher can critically reflect and place our group on the Mathematics communication and participation framework in order to inform our next steps.
I am feeling empowered and further determined to ensure that the next 10 weeks of teaching are effective, efficient and outcomes focussed.

Alton-Lee, A., Hunter, R., Sinnema, C. & Pulegatoa-Diggins, C. (2012).  BES Exemplar 1 Nga Kete Raukura – He Tauira 1 Developing communities of mathematical inquiry.  Iterative Best Evidence Synthesis Programme Hei Kete Raukura.

Retrieved from http://educationcounts.govt.nz/goto/BES