A Study of Whole Classroom Mathematical Discourse and Teacher Change

Abstract

This article presents a comparison of the first 2 years of an experienced middle school mathematics teacher's efforts to change her classroom practice as a result of an intervening professional development program. The teacher's intention was for her teaching to better reflect her vision of reform-based mathematics instruction. We compared events from the 1st and 2nd year's whole class discussions within a multilevel framework that considered the flow of information and the nature of peer- and teacher-directed scaffolding. Discourse analyses of classroom videos served both as an analytic tool for our study of whole classroom interactions, as well as a resource for promoting discussion and reflection during professional development meetings. The results show that there was little change in the teacher's specific goals and beliefs in light of a self-evaluation of her Year 1 practices, but substantial changes in how she set out to enact those goals. In Year 2, the teacher maintained a central, social scaffolding role, but removed herself as the analytic center to invite greater student participation. Consequently, student-led discussion increased manifold, but lacked the mathematical precision offered previously by the teacher. The analyses lead to insights about how classroom interactions can be shaped by a teacher's beliefs and interpretations of educational reform recommendations.