Elementary Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions and Lived Experiences on Mathematical Communication

Abstract

Mathematical thinking skills and meaningful mathematical understanding are among the goals of current mathematics education. There is a wide consensus among scholars about the purpose of developing mathematical understanding and higher order thinking skills in students. However, how to develop those skills in classroom settings is an area that still needs attention. Fostering mathematical communication in classroom settings is a strategy to develop students thinking skills by mathematical talk, discussion and activities. The purpose of the study is to explore teachers’ perceptions and lived experiences about using mathematical communication in their classrooms. The study is qualitative and employed a phenomenological approach to gain in-depth insight about the nature of mathematical communication in the classroom setting. Participants were experienced elementary school mathematics teachers. They discussed about the concepts associated with, strategies to enhance, purposes and benefits and application of mathematical communication as well as impact of mathematical communication on thinking skills, during the interviews. The findings are expected to provide a basis for discussion about using mathematical communication to foster students’ higher order thinking skills and mathematical understanding.