Reading Recap

Discourse that promotes conceptual understanding

This article really focuses on the social relationship students have with math. Students need to have an open environment, which promotes discussion and dissection of their math strategy. Students also should be able to compare strategies enhancing this idea of conceptual thinking and discussion. As for teachers, teachers need to allow students to explain their thinking and not interrupt their ideas but help them by asking them to restate or putting it into different wording for them.

Kazemi, E. (1998, March). Discourse that promotes conceptual understanding. Teaching Children Mathematics, 410-414.

Putting Umph into Discussion

The previous article talks about classroom discussion and critical thinking but this article focuses on what students actually talk about. Teachers need to find interesting problems that students will connect to and invest in, in order to promote classroom discussion. In order to find these tasks, teachers need to know and understand their students because not all tasks will promote discussion. Again this article focuses on more student lead activities than teacher lead activities where students are responsible for the discussion but the teacher is a resource to help.

Stein, M.K. (2001) Mathematical argumentation: Putting the umph into classroom discussions. Mathematic Teaching in the Middle School. 7(2), 110-112.

Classroom Discussions: Chapter 6

This chapter was incredibly helpful as a reference for discussion based lesson plans. When planning these types of lessons teachers need to anticipate problems that my arise, plan what type of discussion students will be having weather small group or pairs, and come up with a higher level thinking question to generate conversation. There is a great deal more planning that needs to go into these types of lessons and teachers should prepare for this types of planning.

Chapin, S.H., O'Connor, C., and Anderson, N.C. (2009) Classroom discussion: Using math to help students learn. Sausalito, CA:Math Solutions. Chapter 9- Planning Lessons

Listening to Students

This article was focused on the listening aspect of student lead discussion. It was shocking to find out that students engaged in a mathematic for over an hour. Often teachers cut off discussion and precede right into explanation but this example teacher allowed and encouraged this discussion. Once again this teacher also came up with intriguing activities and questions to ask her students but she ends the article by saying that this is an “evolutionary process” reassuring other teachers that this technique is a practice for the students as well as the teacher.

Atkins, S. (1999, January). Listening to students: The power of mathematical conversation. Teaching Children Mathematics, 289-295.