Exploring what teachers notice about students' interactional dynamics during collaborative mathematics problem-solving and their connections to instructional practice

Abstract

This paper reports on an exploratory teacher professional development study, in which we examine what teachers noticed about student interactional dynamics during collaborative mathematical activity, as well as how teachers reflected on what they notice in relation to their own instructional practice. Analysis of video records of teachers' discussions show that teachers noticed and made sense of students' interactional dynamics during collaborative mathematics problem-solving. Teachers noticed: (1) how challenging collaboration is for students; (2) the utility of social negotiations; (3) affordances of student intellectual authority; and (4) the mechanics of collaboration. Teachers also made connections to their teaching practice. Across the academic year, teachers used three processes to connect what they've noticed to practice; they: (1) re-interpreted prior experiences, (2) mapped the terrain of collaborative work, and (3) identified value for future action.