Abstract
There is an ongoing need to support students’ learning of linear functions, and the study of slope makes up a foundational component of this learning. We applied techniques from systemic functional linguistics to document the meanings that were established through spoken interaction between a student and her tutors during discussions of slope. We found that, while fraction notation gave the student and tutors a common reference point to discuss slope, it also masked important differences in how the student interpreted slope compared to her tutors. The findings of this analysis imply the need not only to attend to how students quantify slope, but also whether students recognize slope as an attribute of a line.
Highlights
There is an ongoing need to support students’ learning of linear functions, and the study of slope makes up a foundational component of this learning
We address a question of how students and tutors construct meanings together through their talk and their shared use of symbolic notation, in the context of slope in Algebra 1
In this study we describe how one student established meaning related to linear functions through interactions with her tutors, and how those interactions were shaped by their shared use of symbolic fraction notation
Summary
There is an ongoing need to support students’ learning of linear functions, and the study of slope makes up a foundational component of this learning. We applied techniques from systemic functional linguistics to document the meanings that were established through spoken interaction between a student and her tutors during discussions of slope. While fraction notation gave the student and tutors a common reference point to discuss slope, it masked important differences in how the student interpreted slope compared to her tutors The findings of this analysis imply the need to attend to how students quantify slope, and whether students recognize slope as an attribute of a line. We address a question of how students and tutors construct meanings together through their talk and their shared use of symbolic notation, in the context of slope in Algebra 1. Our analysis was guided by the following research questions: 1. What connections did Tanisha and her tutors establish among ideas related to slope when working on tasks about linear functions?
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
