Dynamic assessment and teachers' knowledge of children's mathematical thinking: a case study in children's mathematics

Abstract

This paper considers the kind of pedagogical knowledge and principles involved in the operationalisation of knowledge of children's mathematical thinking as a process of dynamic assessment. Using a case study of a particular child, this paper explores planning and instruction for a child determined by a detailed and informed interpretation of the child's conceptual understanding through a dynamic process. It presents as a case study the observations of a teacher who had undertaken professional development in children's mathematical thinking, theoretically informed by Cognitively Guided Instruction and Maths Recovery. The observations revealed the child's mathematical understanding and how the teacher used this knowledge dynamically to inform teaching. The paper outlines the kind of knowledge required of teachers to enact this dynamic process in mathematics teaching and argues for the centrality of this to the development of inclusive practice.